[DeTomaso] Record price? (warning: tired, opinionated, ranting reply)

[Himes, Terry (397C)]

Love it!  Well said!   I agree.

Except for the “let others drive it!” Er… NEVER!!  Only my best friend has ever
driven my Pantera, and the only one who ever will.

Terry


"A Purple Heart proves you were smart enough to hatch a plan,
 stupid enough to try it and lucky enough to survive!"
 
Terry W. Himes 
JPL Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Dawn Spacecraft Team
Rosetta Sequence Team Lead
Phone: (818) 393-6261
Cell:     (818) 653-8213
thimes at jpl.nasa.gov
🇺🇸
 

On 8/22/17, 5:04 PM, "DeTomaso on behalf of audionut at hushmail.com" <detomaso-bounces at server.detomasolist.com on behalf of audionut at hushmail.com> wrote:

    Jeez.....Somebody got swept up and carried away at car week.  
    (Nice ripply front bumper.  The one I mangled a while back looks
    better than that one.) Maybe I'm the only car guy who feels this way
    but it seems to me car collector/investors attach great value to some
    really silly things: First car off the lineLast car off the lineOwned
    by a celebrity who maybe did this or that ridiculous thing to it
    Personal social connections with manufacturer people/employees,
    stories (documented or not), various documentations/photos of same or
    similarDesigner/famous people signatures (this can be super cool I
    agree, but worth $$ tens of thousands?)One owner (one guy can screw up
    or neglect a car just as efficiently as several)Low mileage
    (meaningful only when buying modern used cars, otherwise it's hearsay.
     We all know it takes about 10 seconds to disconnect the odo cable on
    a Pantera)Useless and inferior original tires, tool bags, jacks, spare
    tires, owner's manuals etc.  (I have all that stuff in boxes in the
    garage only cuz I know this crap adds value)Never driven (somebody
    bought it new and parked it as an investment?  wtf?) Take the Elvis
    Pantera with the bullet hole in the steering wheel, sitting in a
    museum basement or collector barn somewhere--  is this not more sad
    than anything else? "Pathetic, washed-up, pill-popping celebrity
    singer in a petulant fit of rage takes a perfectly good Pantera and
    instantly turns it into a curiosity."  Blammo!  Car is now permanently
    out of commission and only for the silly reason that lots of dumb
    people think the story is really cool.   (sorry Elvis lovers!) True
    love of cars is best expressed by driving them, sharing them with the
    world as one is able to and maintaining them in as good condition as
    possible.  If you don't do that, it means that what you truly love is
    not the car at all.  What you really love is money.  For this kind of
    "car guy", collectible cars are just an interesting way to have fun
    buying and selling as some kind of extravagant hobby. This guy who
    paid $200K for this Orange 74--  is he going to get it on the road? 
    Is he going to join POCA and drive it to a fun rally?  Or is it going
    to sit in a really nice barn somewhere?  
    Heck with the money, people.  Get in the car, pick up your buddy and
    go for a spirited drive on a winding mountain road.   Catch the look
    on his face while he tries to keep from crapping his pants.  This is
    priceless. Then later if you're feeling brave enough, let him drive
    it.   THAT is being a car guy.
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    A few weeks ago, an old friend of mine called out of the blue and soon
    showed up with his 12 y/o daughter.  We talked a bit and then he said
    he wanted to show her my Pantera.   Well, I knew that what he really
    wanted was to check it out himself.  I clicked open the garage door
    and his eyes lit up.  Smiling ear to ear, he opened the car door, slid
    himself into the cockpit and grabbed the wheel without even asking me.
     It was like he couldn't help himself.  The car just sucked him right
    in, which is exactly how I feel about the Pantera.  (Just sitting
    there, the car always seems to be saying:  "Hey!  What are you
    standing there for? Get in!  Let's go!") When that kind of thing
    happens-- people showing that kind of enthusiasm, it's just super
    cool.  It makes me feel so lucky to own a Pantera.  I'll be taking him
    for a ride sometime soon and if he's got the guts I'll let him drive
    it.   How could I not?  
     Sent using Hushmail
    On August 21, 2017 at 12:34 PM, "Tom Cabanski"  wrote:RM Auctions
    (Sotheby's Monterey)
    $203,500
    
    http://www.rmsothebys.com/mo17/monterey/lots/1974-de-tomaso-pantera-l-by-ghia/1703937
    
    Tom