[DeTomaso] 'Racing' Safety

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

Due to my 6'2" height, a typical full cage in a Pantera is uncomfortable to 
me; specifically the typical side-bar that runs above the drivers door 
opening slams my head even with a helmet on. Possibly, the roof could be removed 
and a cage constructed with crossbars a little higher up, then the stock 
roof rewelded and the driver's seat relocated towards the console enough to 
cure this.... but not on my budget. A welded cage will stiffen up the chassis 
and allow better handling, though. I have one friend that commutes with a 
6-point roll cage in her ex-Silver State Porsche 928, but she's only 5/4". A 
three-point roll bar in a Pantera is almost as good as a cage, as long as you 
either never have a passenger (NOT an option for our Pantera!) or actually 
install the down-leg bar every time you go out solo. Most owners won't. IMHO 
a 2 point roll hoop is not much improvement over the stock chassis hoop 
that runs above the headliner. 
And as Gary said, driving with a helmet in traffic will cause every cop 
within sight to wonder what you're up to- to the point of pulling you over to 
ask your intentions. This may cause them to follow you all the time and/or 
delay your commute until all the police in your area have you pegged as some 
sort of harmless safety nut. On the upside, if it's a full face helmet, 
photo-radar wil no longer be able to ID the driver.... FWIW- J Deryke