[DeTomaso] Tom Tjaarda on Creativity

[Gray Gregory]

I had a similar experience the first time I met Tom. It was around 99 or 2000 at the Italian car event at Pocono. I met him at the track event and gave him a ride in my Pantera race car (now Kirby's race car); which upon returning to the pits I found out it was his first ever ride in a Pantera on a race tract! To this day he has never forgotten it and whenever I see him he refers to me as "me pilota". 

Anyway the following day I ran into him on the lawn at the car show and we ended up walking around the show together. whenever I would comment on a particular car either pro or con he would stop and explain to me why I probably liked or disliked the car. It was fascinating how he could dissect tiny little details in the lines of any given car and explain to someone with no design talent or experience how they effected the overall look and stance of a car. Without a doubt it was the best car show experience of my life!

Tom is truly an amazing designer and a prince of a guy!

Gray

-----Original Message-----
From: DeTomaso [mailto:detomaso-bounces at poca.com] On Behalf Of Jeff Cobb
Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 2016 9:58 PM
To: Joseph F. Byrd, Jr. <byrdjf at embarqmail.com>; Jeff Detrich <jjdetrich at gmail.com>; Pantera - DeTomaso Mail List <detomaso at poca.com>; wallace wyss <photojournalistpro at gmail.com>; Tom Paola Tjaarda Tjaarda Design <tjaarda at astranet.it>; Robert Cumberford <rcumberford at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Tom Tjaarda on Creativity

Fine stories are to be uncovered at odd times. I tell this story as I best can remember.

    At the 2003 or 4 Monterey week my then wife, stepson and I met Tom Tjaarda at the Laforza stand Friday night and had a fine two hour talk. The Laforza salesman told us that Tom had done many design changes on this new  suv. I was amazed and said, "how is that possible because Tom passed away in May of 03". Ho looked at me as if I was crazy and that was not true. I was sure of what I said and the salesman decided to show me that Tom was alive. He turned to his right side and called out Tom's name. The ever polite Tom came up and introduced himself, I was aghast and then we all understood that I was thinking and talking about Alejandro DeTomaso's death in May of 03. I was so embarrassed and my wife and boy thought I had lost my mind. How could an real Italian car guy not know these simple facts?

   Then very early Sunday morn at Pebble I was at the far end of the golf course by myself making foggy morning rounds of cars and people that I would then go back and spend time with.

I was standing next to and eying a beautiful Ferrari 365 California. Not many people around when three older men in suits walk up. The men were Sir Stirling Moss, Phil Hill and Tom Tjaarda. These judges were doing their job. I stepped back in amazement and major respect so the men could talk to the 365 elderly owners and check over their pristine original car. Phil Hill and Sir Moss then walked off while Tom stayed by the right front fender and studied the 365.
I was standing by the right rear fender and Tom turned to me and said, "good morning Jeff". I answered with shocked admiration. He remembered my name from two nights before and then asked me, "Jeff, would you like me to tell you why I made this car the way it is?" 
DUH? 
Heck yes!!! Yes sir, please tell me.

This man designed this car? Holy smokes, batman. Will wonders ever cease?
Tom then told me how he took a coupe while working at Pininfarina after hearing that Enzo wanted a sleek convertible for the American market. He said that he got two workers to place floor jacks at the rearmost bottoms of both rear fenders and slightly jack up to stabilize the body. He then instructed them to use saws and cut into the rear fenders behind both doors across the body, down to the floor pan just fore of the wheels arches and back up in a pie shape, 6 mm or so top fender gap at a time. After each slice was removed the mechanics would jack up the body and Tom said he would view the body and think about it. He would have Battista Pini Farina and Enzo Ferrari come and view it. They kept cutting out more slices and jacking up till the real boss Battista Farina said it was a fine shape. Tom then had the workers finish the job and Pininfarina made 13 more. 
Tom said Farina had the best critical design eye of any man he had ever known. 
He spoke about designing this beautiful work of automotive art as just something he did for a job. 

Tom's humility with easy spirit and earnest love of doing what he enjoyed fascinated me. I was lucky to have been a participant in this story. 

Thanks for reading.

Jeff Cobb
Cell 225-907-4514

On Jan 5, 2016, at 6:24 PM, Joseph F. Byrd, Jr. <byrdjf at embarqmail.com> wrote:

> An article that shows those "circles"
> http://www.velocetoday.com/ferrari-365-california/
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: DeTomaso [mailto:detomaso-bounces at poca.com] On Behalf Of Jeff 
> Detrich
> Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 2016 19:10 PM
> To: David
> Cc: detomaso at poca.com
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Tom Tjaarda on Creativity
> 
> Check out the nose of the Ferrari. I wonder what the circles are for? They are cutouts for something.
> 
> Jeff
> 6559
> [image: Inline image 1]
> 
> On Tue, Jan 5, 2016 at 12:52 PM, David <adin at frontier.net> wrote:
> 
>> Interesting article. Wish I could sit down with Tom for a quiet hour 
>> and yak about this stuff. Enjoy.
>> 
>> http://www.velocetoday.com/tom-tjaarda-on-creativity/
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my little handheld gizmo..