[DeTomaso] Optima: red, yellow, or blue

[JF]

For all that saw the add about the Optima battery in my Pantera. The engine is not stock in any way. Flat top pistons and small chamber CHI 2V aluminum heads have run the compression up way over stock. The starter is a new Ford mini unit and works very well and was only a year old when the Optima gave out. I have spent years upgrading the grounds and electrical system on this car, so there is nothing wrong in that area.

The car would not start with the old Optima after it was hot. When I installed the new Optima Red Top in 2009, it started fine. I also drove this car over 2500 miles to the Reno event in 2009 and there was never any kind of a starting problem. Optima had taken several some of my statements about the Pantera and just put things together in their own way for the story. I had asked that they allow me to edit the final story, but that didn't happen. Optima paid to have this old battery shipped to them and they have done a lot of testing on it. Some people have had problems with this type of battery, but I didn't and did have it last as long as the story did say. The Pantera also made 14 consecutive trips to the Las Vegas event with the old Optima battery in it, so this car has been driven and their battery did a good job.