[DeTomaso] Pre and post "L"

MikeLDrew at aol.com MikeLDrew at aol.com
Sat Jun 15 12:29:12 EDT 2013


In a message dated 6/15/13 8 56 11, demongusta at me.com writes:


> Can someone give me a quick explanation of the "L" thing. I thought it 
> stood for Longchamp which I thought was a sedan, but now I am confused re: 
> the Pantera L.
> 

>>>L stands for "Lusso" which means "Luxury" in Italian.

Basically, it was the name given to the car when it went through its first 
styling 'upgrade' (brought about by the imposition of onorous new bumper 
laws for the 1973 model year).   While the cars were undergoing constant 
evolution, a large number of changes (some of them genuine improvements, others of 
questionable merit, and some which were truly unfortunate, such as a great 
reduction in horsepower) took place at roughly the same time, and it was 
possible to lump them all together and call it a 'new' model Pantera.

TSB #6, dated June 1, 1973 lists the new model features for the L-model 
Pantera (only about ten months after L-models started rolling off the 
production line!).   The list is:

Front/rear impact bumpers
Added illumination for instrument panel switches
Goodyear 'Arriva" tires
Seat belt warning light and buzzer
Positive retention of spare wheel and tire
Identification of all controls
Quick-release aircraft fasteners for engine cover
Redesigned engine cover
Warning light to indicate brake pad wear
External gas filler cap
8.1 compression ratio engine (KK623AG)
Revised instrument panel with rotating defroster outlets
Forward facing air cleaner intake
All relays in one panel on left side of interior (to match fuse panel)
Rear deck lid supports inverted
Repositioned windshield washer reservoir
Sealed fasteners for trunk liner
Additional hood release cable
Dual rheostats for dash panel illumination
Revised air conditioner icing switch

There is verbiage explaining that not all the above changes occured with 
the first car, and that instead, they had been progressively incorporated 
since the previous September (September 1972), and that some hadn't been 
incorporated until just the previous month (May 1973).

Mike


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