[DeTomaso] La Pantera Bianca coming out of retirement!

The DeTomaso Registry Guy detomasoregistry at gmail.com
Sat Feb 9 15:22:57 EST 2013


and for more...

http://www.provamo.com/Members/Registry/RegistryImages/RTHPNAM09242/RTHPNAM0
9242.asp



Chuck
http://www.detomasoregistry.org/Members/ProvaMoMemMain.asp




Here's a photo of the car Mike was describing:
http://www.poca.com/index.php/gallery/?g2_itemId=39042

I found it on the Internet somewhere while trolling...  Not the prettiest
car, but apparently it was effective

Charles McCall
Raising Pantera Awareness Across Europe
1985 DeTomaso Pantera #9375
http://www.poca.com/index.php/gallery/?g2_itemId=2323


-----Original Message-----
From: detomaso-bounces at poca.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at poca.com] On Behalf
Of MikeLDrew at aol.com
Sent: jueves, 07 de febrero de 2013 1:11
To: detomaso at POCA.com
Subject: [DeTomaso] La Pantera Bianca coming out of retirement!

Hi guys,

Just got this from Ross Jackson in Australia...this is undoubtedly the most 
radically modifed race Pantera, ever!

Charlie McCall just sent me a photo of this car the other day, but I've 
already trashed it after looking at it.   Charlie, can you post it for all
to 
see?

Mike

====

Larry Perkins to race 'La Pantera Bianca' at Phillip Island Just six
weeks after selling his two V8 Supercar entitlements, Larry Perkins will
return to the racetrack for his Historic Racing debut in the 2013
Phillip Island Classic Festival of Motorsport from March 8-10.
The six-time Bathurst winner will be at the wheel of the spectacular and
unique 'La Pantera Bianca' DeTomaso GT car built in the mid-1980s by
noted Australian racing car designer Barry Lock and raced undefeated by
Kevin Bartlett.
The 900kg ground effects Pantera with its 383-cid mid-mounted Ford V8
engine developing 612HP (456kW), will be amongst a full grid of exotic
'big banger' sports cars from around the world competing in the
International Sportscar Challenge at the meeting.
The field includes nine Lolas, eight McLarens, four Elfins, two Le Mans
Matra-Simca MS670s, three Porsches and a 1966 Ford GT40, with 10
entrants coming from the USA, seven from the UK, two from Germany and
New Zealand and the rest from Australia The cars will take part in two
rolling start sprint races on the Saturday of the Phillip Island Classic
weekend and a 30-minute mini enduro as the feature event of the Sunday
race program.
While Perkins will be coming out of a decade of racing 'hibernation',
the Pantera will be emerging from nearly 27 years in storage.
In 1984. Paul Halstead's company, DeTomaso Australia, exported
Australian-made 351 Cleveland V8s to Italy for the worldwide production
of DeTomaso cars. As a result of the export credits earned, DeTomaso
Australia was able to import the range of vehicles in knocked-down form
at reduced duty.
In 1985, Halstead ordered a lightweight body from the Italian factory as
the basis of a car to run in the Australian GT Championship and designer
Barry Lock (formerly of McLaren and the designer of the Australian
Kaditcha sports cars) subsequently built a full 'ground effects' car
using the world's best available technology.
Called 'La Pantera Bianca, or 'White Panther' and standing just 96cm
tall - even lower than the 100cm Ford GT40 - the Pantera in its first
part-year of racing with twice Australian Drivers' Champion Kevin
Bartlett at the wheel won every race it contested.

In its final GT championship race at Winton Victoria, Bartlett, in just
his fourth start in the car, lapped the entire field of GT and sports
cars!
In 1987, as it was preparing to contest the full GT Championship, the
regulations changed and rather than mutilate the car to meet the new
restrictive rules, Halstead retired the Pantera undefeated After trying
unsuccessfully to sell the car several years ago, Halstead instead
decided to totally refurbish it and had Barry Lock complete an
exhaustive restoration to its original 1980s specification.
Larry Perkins recently gave the car its shakedown run on the
newly-resurfaced Phillip Island circuit and despite his unfamiliarity
with the car and its relatively cold tyres, lapped the circuit in under
1min 42sec. Halstead believes that at the 'Classic Perkins will be
circulating closer to 1min 30sec.
While under-playing his return to racing, Perkins said he was looking
forward to driving the Pantera at the Phillip Island Classic Festival of
Motorsport.
"I'm helping a friend of mine out and having a drive," is how he put it
in his typical 'Kimi Raikkonenesque' way. But Halstead's impression
after Perkins' first drive was different.
"He had a big smile," he said. "He's lost nothing during his 10-year
Sabbatical and we'll see it all with Spades when he drives the car at
the Classic!"
The 24th annual Phillip Island Classic is being staged by the Victorian
Historic Racing Register and is supported by Shannons, CoolDrive,
Penrite and Bosch, with race officials supplied by the Victorian Mini
Club.
For more meeting details, visit www.vhrr.com<http://www.vhrr.com/> For
media enquiries and publication quality images contact Michael Browning
0418 324 328
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