[DeTomaso] Detomaso Factory Race Car on Ebay

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 5/9/14 12 42 47, michael at michaelshortt.com writes:


> So what did they do, just grab a chassis from a stack at DeTomaso and 
> say,
> Here you go, oh wait, you need a title, how about #00001 one, we crashed
> the first one, so it's available.
> 

>>>The history of this car is short, and not even slightly mysterious.

The team of Sala/Marverti had been racing Panteras for several years, when 
in 1977 they decided to build a Group 5 car (a class which allows more 
extreme modifications than Group 4).   They negotiated to get a new, unnumbered 
chassis from De Tomaso.   (I presume chassis means the basic platform, i.e. 
the center structure, roof, front trunk compartment and inner wheelhouses, 
but don't know the extent of it for sure).   The De Tomaso Racing book claims 
that it then received a body built by Mauro Sacchetti (who used to work at 
Fantuzzi).   

>From '77 to '80 it was raced primarily in Italy by two guys, named 
Michangeli and Pietromarchi, but also elsewhere in Europe, most notably at Le Mans 
in 1979 (wearing #35) and 1980 (#54).   Both times it failed to finish.   It 
seemed to be a fairly marginal, unmemorable race car and there are almost no 
photos of it on the internet (I've spent hours looking in the past!).   
There are quite a few photos of it in the book however; originally it was red 
with a white hood and rear wing, and a blue/black stripe going up each side, 
but then it was red with multiple white stripes up the sides.

For the 1979 season it was repainted black for a brief period, and then it 
was given a completely new and rather more attractive front and rear body, 
with the center structure unchanged, and painted in the three-tone light 
brown/tan/dark brown scheme seen in the photo Julian posted.   

The book claims that in 1981, it was sent to a place called Auto Elite 
Modena, where the last remnants of Pantera were stripped away, and it was 
converted to the new FIA Group C specification which started in 1982.   This was a 
laughable effort, because it would be competing against truly modern cars 
such as the Porsche 956, which were light-years away in terms of development. 
  

I don't know if the car actually carried any sort of identification as a De 
Tomaso at this point, or if it raced as an Auto Elite, or something else; I 
suspect it was considered to be a unique prototype car, and the fact that 
it had as its basis the remnants of a desperately obsolete Pantera chassis 
was incidental, or perhaps not even mentioned.   Apparently it was still raced 
by Michangeli and Pietromarchi, and collected a number of DNFs.

I have no idea when or where it received its serial number of #0001?   It 
could have been during the conversion to Group C configuration, or maybe it 
got it when it was first constructed as a Pantera.   

I don't know anything about its race history in Group C guise (and since it 
perhaps wasn't considered a De Tomaso anymore, there is no further mention 
of it in the De Tomaso racing book). 

When it raced as a Pantera, it was already pretty badly outclassed by the 
Gr5 Porsches etc. of the day, and as a Group C car it was certainly a 
completely hopeless case.

It was more or less abandoned for many years, until it was rather 
optimistically brought to the USA, where it received a cosmetic restoration (of 
sorts) to its Group C specification, and it was then branded as a De Tomaso car.  
 It has been for sale for many years now.   I know Guy Trigaux inspected it 
several months ago for a prospective buyer, and the sale didn't go through.

Mike
-------------- next part --------------
   In a message dated 5/9/14 12 42 47, michael at michaelshortt.com writes:

     So what did they do, just grab a chassis from a stack at DeTomaso
     and say,
     Here you go, oh wait, you need a title, how about #00001 one, we
     crashed
     the first one, so it's available.

   >>>The history of this car is short, and not even slightly mysterious.
   The team of Sala/Marverti had been racing Panteras for several years,
   when in 1977 they decided to build a Group 5 car (a class which allows
   more extreme modifications than Group 4).  They negotiated to get a
   new, unnumbered chassis from De Tomaso.  (I presume chassis means the
   basic platform, i.e. the center structure, roof, front trunk
   compartment and inner wheelhouses, but don't know the extent of it for
   sure).  The De Tomaso Racing book claims that it then received a body
   built by Mauro Sacchetti (who used to work at Fantuzzi).
   From '77 to '80 it was raced primarily in Italy by two guys, named
   Michangeli and Pietromarchi, but also elsewhere in Europe, most notably
   at Le Mans in 1979 (wearing #35) and 1980 (#54).  Both times it failed
   to finish.  It seemed to be a fairly marginal, unmemorable race car and
   there are almost no photos of it on the internet (I've spent hours
   looking in the past!).  There are quite a few photos of it in the book
   however; originally it was red with a white hood and rear wing, and a
   blue/black stripe going up each side, but then it was red with multiple
   white stripes up the sides.
   For the 1979 season it was repainted black for a brief period, and then
   it was given a completely new and rather more attractive front and rear
   body, with the center structure unchanged, and painted in the
   three-tone light brown/tan/dark brown scheme seen in the photo Julian
   posted.
   The book claims that in 1981, it was sent to a place called Auto Elite
   Modena, where the last remnants of Pantera were stripped away, and it
   was converted to the new FIA Group C specification which started in
   1982.  This was a laughable effort, because it would be competing
   against truly modern cars such as the Porsche 956, which were
   light-years away in terms of development.
   I don't know if the car actually carried any sort of identification as
   a De Tomaso at this point, or if it raced as an Auto Elite, or
   something else; I suspect it was considered to be a unique prototype
   car, and the fact that it had as its basis the remnants of a
   desperately obsolete Pantera chassis was incidental, or perhaps not
   even mentioned.  Apparently it was still raced by Michangeli and
   Pietromarchi, and collected a number of DNFs.
   I have no idea when or where it received its serial number of #0001?
   It could have been during the conversion to Group C configuration, or
   maybe it got it when it was first constructed as a Pantera.
   I don't know anything about its race history in Group C guise (and
   since it perhaps wasn't considered a De Tomaso anymore, there is no
   further mention of it in the De Tomaso racing book).
   When it raced as a Pantera, it was already pretty badly outclassed by
   the Gr5 Porsches etc. of the day, and as a Group C car it was certainly
   a completely hopeless case.
   It was more or less abandoned for many years, until it was rather
   optimistically brought to the USA, where it received a cosmetic
   restoration (of sorts) to its Group C specification, and it was then
   branded as a De Tomaso car.  It has been for sale for many years now.
   I know Guy Trigaux inspected it several months ago for a prospective
   buyer, and the sale didn't go through.
   Mike