[DeTomaso] A haircut for Hugh....

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

Hi guys,

Today was a day intended for errands and small chores.   Among the things I 
had to do was to drive to Travis Air Force Base (about 20-25 minutes away) 
and get a haircut.   The easy thing to do would be to just jump in one of my 
Sciroccos and zip out there.   But I was thinking about Hugh, how much he 
appreciated his family's strong military heritage, and how much he enjoyed 
driving his Pantera, and decided that I would attempt to honor him in a very 
small way by taking my Pantera out there.

The clutch is slipping pretty badly and I haven't had time to fix it yet 
(although I do have a new clutch disc in a box) so I have only driven the car 
a handful of times this year.   Getting it out involved moving several cars, 
motorcycles, tools and debris, and a bunch of boxes (including the new 
clutch disc).   It took some cranking but the engine fired up, initially running 
on only five or six cylinders, but after a few seconds it cleared its 
throat and idled at an impatient 1500 rpm.

I slowly backed out of the garage, kicked it down to its normal 1000 rpm 
idle and set off.   The skies were leaden, although the rain that's supposed 
to happen for a full week isn't due to start until tomorrow.  I revelled in 
the sound of the roller valvetrain thrashing away, the tactile feel of the 
Momo steering wheel, and the expansive view through the windscreen.   After 
driving normal cars for a long time, one forgets how fantastic the view is to 
the front (and similarly, how challenging it is to back out of a tight space 
to the rear).

I can't give the car more than about 15-20% throttle before the clutch 
slips, so it was a fairly ginger drive.   However, it's amazing how fast you can 
go in a Pantera with almost no throttle application if you're just patient. 
  Let it slowly gain revs and you can be moving along at quite a rate of 
knots before you know it, and because you aren't mashing the throttle to the 
mat, the acceleration is subtle and deceiving.

My drive consists of a straight road alongside the edge of town for the 
first half, and then totally barren farm roads for the second half, 
arrow-straight with 15 mph 90-degree corners and formidable drainage ditches on each 
side, so this isn't the place for any sort of antics.

Before long, I got to the base, and the young airman manning the gate had 
eyes sticking out on stalks--he'd never seen me or my Pantera (or any 
Pantera) before.   So we had a brief conversation where I gave him a 30-second 
synopsis of the car, and he nodded with admiration.

I parked in a distant spot, conveniently near an old WWII/Korean 
War-vintage C-54 that's on display in the middle of a roundabout, and took the 
opportunity to shoot a quick photo. (attached)

When I emerged from the barber shop, it had become dark.   There was no 
traffic on the country roads between the base and my town, and even driving 
gently so as to avoid clutch slippage, I was able to wick it up and cruise at 
80-90 mph for a few minutes at a time.   Once I hit town I settled down and 
just burbled back home.

It's easy to become complacent about the Pantera in the garage, and to find 
excuses NOT to drive it.   After all, it's almost always easier to take 
something else if you just have to get from point A to point B.   And as often 
as not, there is some little thing wrong with the car that really 'needs' to 
be fixed, that can discourage you from taking it somewhere.

But driving a Pantera is one of the most life-affirming things you can do, 
and even if it takes a little effort, it's always, always worth it.   Each 
Pantera drive is a little special in its own way.

This one was for you, Hugh….

Mike
-------------- next part --------------
   Hi guys,
   Today was a day intended for errands and small chores.  Among the
   things I had to do was to drive to Travis Air Force Base (about 20-25
   minutes away) and get a haircut.  The easy thing to do would be to just
   jump in one of my Sciroccos and zip out there.  But I was thinking
   about Hugh, how much he appreciated his family's strong military
   heritage, and how much he enjoyed driving his Pantera, and decided that
   I would attempt to honor him in a very small way by taking my Pantera
   out there.
   The clutch is slipping pretty badly and I haven't had time to fix it
   yet (although I do have a new clutch disc in a box) so I have only
   driven the car a handful of times this year.  Getting it out involved
   moving several cars, motorcycles, tools and debris, and a bunch of
   boxes (including the new clutch disc).  It took some cranking but the
   engine fired up, initially running on only five or six cylinders, but
   after a few seconds it cleared its throat and idled at an impatient
   1500 rpm.
   I slowly backed out of the garage, kicked it down to its normal 1000
   rpm idle and set off.  The skies were leaden, although the rain that's
   supposed to happen for a full week isn't due to start until tomorrow. I
   revelled in the sound of the roller valvetrain thrashing away, the
   tactile feel of the Momo steering wheel, and the expansive view through
   the windscreen.  After driving normal cars for a long time, one forgets
   how fantastic the view is to the front (and similarly, how challenging
   it is to back out of a tight space to the rear).
   I can't give the car more than about 15-20% throttle before the clutch
   slips, so it was a fairly ginger drive.  However, it's amazing how fast
   you can go in a Pantera with almost no throttle application if you're
   just patient.  Let it slowly gain revs and you can be moving along at
   quite a rate of knots before you know it, and because you aren't
   mashing the throttle to the mat, the acceleration is subtle and
   deceiving.
   My drive consists of a straight road alongside the edge of town for the
   first half, and then totally barren farm roads for the second half,
   arrow-straight with 15 mph 90-degree corners and formidable drainage
   ditches on each side, so this isn't the place for any sort of antics.
   Before long, I got to the base, and the young airman manning the gate
   had eyes sticking out on stalks--he'd never seen me or my Pantera (or
   any Pantera) before.  So we had a brief conversation where I gave him a
   30-second synopsis of the car, and he nodded with admiration.
   I parked in a distant spot, conveniently near an old WWII/Korean
   War-vintage C-54 that's on display in the middle of a roundabout, and
   took the opportunity to shoot a quick photo. (attached)
   When I emerged from the barber shop, it had become dark.  There was no
   traffic on the country roads between the base and my town, and even
   driving gently so as to avoid clutch slippage, I was able to wick it up
   and cruise at 80-90 mph for a few minutes at a time.  Once I hit town I
   settled down and just burbled back home.
   It's easy to become complacent about the Pantera in the garage, and to
   find excuses NOT to drive it.  After all, it's almost always easier to
   take something else if you just have to get from point A to point B.
   And as often as not, there is some little thing wrong with the car that
   really 'needs' to be fixed, that can discourage you from taking it
   somewhere.
   But driving a Pantera is one of the most life-affirming things you can
   do, and even if it takes a little effort, it's always, always worth
   it.  Each Pantera drive is a little special in its own way.
   This one was for you, Hugha|.
   Mike
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