[DeTomaso] Video Le Mans Classic 2010, Part 1 and 2

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 7/31/10 17 18 17, mbefthomas at comcast.net writes:


> Mike Drew, did you
> know who the cars belonged to?  I believe you and Charlie were there, were
> you not?
> 

Yes, we were.   My Youtube is acting up on me at the moment (slow 
connection, I'm at my former girlfriend's house, helping her family deal with her 
personal effects and do some final settling of her estate), but Patrick Hals 
knows all these guys.   The blue car is an L-model imported to Germany only a 
few years ago, and converted to a race car.   It's listed as being a 1975 
model, but it's really a '73.   There were two red Gr4 cars; one is #2343, 
which was the De Tomaso factory's official entry (as opposed to the other Gr4 
cars which were campaigned by the French, Spanish, Belgian, and German De 
Tomaso distributors, and also by privateers).   The other is #5855, originally 
built as a Gr3, failed to start at Le Mans '75, then converted to Gr4 spec 
and raced extensively in Italy.

The orange car is a bone-stock L-model, incredibly slow and poorly 
prepared; it has had a fortune spent on it by people who haven't the slightest idea 
what they are doing.   More accurately, that was the case two years ago when 
it was in the hands of its former owner.   I think he had about $75K 
invested, and I couldn't see more than about $30K or so.   Super-weak bone-stock 
L-model engine for example.   The current owners at least put on a decent 
showing, driving very slowly, but finishing the event, which only one other 
Pantera owner (the blue car, which was expertly prepared) could say.

Mike

Mike