[DeTomaso] SN 5533 - Mods information and photo file share
Steve Lisa
stevelisa at patentit.com
Wed Jul 28 13:52:05 EDT 2021
All,
I have posted some of the photos we have gathered (there are many more)
showing the modification history for SN5533 in its journey from Asa Jay to
its current race trim. I am happy to answer any questions. There are many
more photos in my son's (Tony) phone, which I am trying to coax out of
him. Here is the link to the file share:
- https://photos.app.goo.gl/c1NsfZraJ9cdbh5Q9
Briefly, we started with the goal of making the Pantera an SVRA Gold
Medallion Group 3 racer. Initially, in the older folders and in the trim
it raced in Portolan a few years ago, it was indeed limited strictly to
only the "true" Group 3 mods as allowed as of 12/1972 FIA Group 3 specs.
Our thought was that we have enough of the more modified race cars in the
stable, and we wanted the Pantera to remain street legal and "out" of the
more heavily modified categories of vintage racing (e.g., the notorious
Group 6). We have spent a bunch of time racing in Group 6, and the cars
are heavily modified with huge HP, etc. We still do race in Group 6 and
Group 10 with our appropriate cars. But, the goal here was to get the
Pantera into Group 3 - true early FIA racers.
Unfortunately, we quickly found out that a Pantera that was strictly
compliant with the 12/1972 FIA Group 3 rules was not a fun (or even safe)
car to drive. So, we abandoned the goal of limiting the mods strictly to
the 12/1972 FIA rules, and instead, try to "walk the fine line" by making
the mods that were "allowed" by the SVRA and other rules outside of Gold
Medallion but within Group 3.
When we signed up for the big WIC Challenge at Road America and submitted
our specifications sheet for the Pantera, we were initially put in Group 6,
which was incredibly disappointing. However, when we arrived for technical
inspection, we were promptly moved to Group 3. Jack Woehrle -- the chief
technical inspector for HSR, congratulated us on a build that was well
within the Group 3 spirit, with only tasteful and safety-inspired mods.
Goal accomplished!
Before getting to the technical mods, I want to say thank you to all the
members of this forum that contributed to our build, answered my (often
repeated) questions, showed up the races, and generally kept us motivated
on the project. I think we are close to done on the build SN5533-- we now
intend to race the crap out of it. We had a successful run at Road America
a few weeks (first in class and 10th overall in Group 3). Our next race
for SN5533 is the Columbia River Classic in Portland September 4-5. From
there, we head to the Historic Daytona 24-hour classic. We will bring two
cars to Daytona, and the Pantera will probably run the HSR sprint races and
not the full 24-hour race (which we will run in the Panoz GT2 endurance
car).
Here is the progression of mods that we made and the logic, and if sort the
images in the folder by time you can see how the progression occurred.
Please feel free to ask any questions. Also - I am sure there are some
additional mods you will see in the images that are relatively minor and
self-apparent (e.g., emergency off switch, some additional sensors/gauges,
etc.). Feel free to ask any questions.
The limited mods allowed (and made to SN5533) that were specified by the
FIA as of December 31, 1972:
1. plexiglass rear window
2. Roll cage and bars to back towers
3. Moving the radiator catch can to accommodate the roll bar
4. racing seats
5. radio delete
6. internally adjustable (rebound) Koni shocks
The additional mods also expressly allowed by SVRA Gold Medallion rules,
and made by us to SN5533:
1. improved / modern seats
2. improved roll cage (driver/passenger intrusion, etc.)
3. fire system
4. removal of all glass (and glass systems) with replacement using
plexiglass (except for front window). [Note side plexiglass quarter
windows]
The SVRA also allows the following on the Pantera *outside* of Gold
Medallion, which we made to SN5533:
1. Accusump
2. Weber carbs (or similar) and manifold
3. Period lip spoiler (must be mounted completely below the hub
centerline)
4. Stock appearing aftermarket heads of correct material and plug
location
5. Roller type camshaft and roller rocker arms
6. MSD type electronic ignition, must be triggered from distributor
Additional mods were made to SN5533 that we believed would not kick us out
of Group 3. Most of these mods were at some point allowed in the later
Group 3 FIA rules:
1. 10" rear and 8" front wheels (initially Bassett wheels to test, but
later purchased the Superlite's you see in the pics with custom
backspacing)
2. replacement fan for the radiator
3. brake ducting in the front
4. use of the '73 GTS Exhaust and hollowed mufflers
5. GTS front spoiler that is on the car with proper ducting
6. Smallest Wildwood brake, master cylinder, pedal upgrade (pre-approved
by SVRA as safety upgrade)
7. bigger swaybars front and rear
8. Complete rewiring of the car, using as much of the original wiring
and routing as possible, with upgraded fuse paneling
9. removal of a/c components
10. lowering of seats
11. A few spring rates for the F/R shocks
12. 10-quart racing oil pan
13. Racing brake lines and racing fluid hoses
14. re-routing the oil cooler to back
15. upgraded racing radiator
16. cutting air holes in front bay and pinning/raising front hood 2
inches
17. Additional bracing underneath rear top suspension points
18. stripping and repainting trunk
Engine configuration - we have three engines for SN5533.
1. The original motor was rebuilt and put away with only dyno time. We
made no mods whatsoever to that engine, and do not intend to use it.
2. We have a second motor, which is a 351 Cleveland built to 1969 SCCA
Trans-Am specs. The build sheet has running at around 475 HP and 450
ft-lbs. Unfortunately, when we put it in the car it felt soft with not
great oil pressure. You can see some of the pics of that motor in the car
with the GTS exhaust system and gutted motors. Sounded awesome, but ran
poorly. So, that motor was taken out and sent to our motor builder in
Tucson (making our NASCAR motors). The rebuild with further and better
"oiling fixes" is nearly done on a complete rebuild with further upgrades,
and will be our primary engine when done - but it very rowdy and loud with
the GTS headers and gutted exhaust.
3. Our third motor is CLEVOR race motor that, frankly, is an awesome
motor. It has a ton of HP and torque (about 450 each), runs low
(unstressed) RPM's (limited at 6000 rpm) and works just fine (so far). We
are running the CLEVOR with the 100% stock 1973 exhaust system. It is an
easy motor to drive, streetable, quiet, but raceable. That is what we ran
at Road America to a top speed of 145 mph on the front straight and a low
time of 2:36. The engine was welcome in HSR Group 3 -- again, mission
accomplished.
Transaxle - we have two transaxles for SN5533
1. The original ZF, which we sent out for rebuild to our desert
transaxle builder. He said the condition was a-ok. So, we are currently
racing the ZF. I am not anxious to continue racing the original ZF for
SN5533.
2. So, we have a Quiaffe ZF that I bought many years ago for our CAV
GT40 race car. We have had it flipped for use in the Pantera. We are
looking to engineer and complete that swap early next year.
Finally, we also paid attention to the following article written years
ago by Mike Drew:
GROUP 3 PANTERA
While a Group 4 Pantera is a dedicated, purpose-built race car that
used Pantera architecture but a unique chassis and suspension, the FIA
Group 3 rules were far more restrictive, as the FIA intended for this class
to consist solely of essentially stock, unmodified production sports cars.
Initially, modifications from standard, production-car specification were
few, mostly relating to pure safety issues, but after a few years, as the
series evolved, the list of allowable modifications grew for all cars
competing in Group 3.
Unlike the Group 4 Panteras which were built utilizing special components,
all Group 3 Panteras were constructed from ordinary, production-line
European Panteras. As they were all built to individual customer order,
it’s difficult to generalize about them. Furthermore, the nature of
bespoke De Tomaso automobiles makes it even more difficult to differentiate
between different models, since it was possible for any European customer
to order each of the components used to create a Gr3 Pantera directly from
the factory, and modify a standard car to that specification after the fact
and then race it.
It was also possible to order a Euro GTS and then have it built with all
the Gr3 components at the factory. So there is a very fine line between a
factory-built Gr3 race car, a Euro GTS fitted with Gr3 components, and a
race car converted to Gr3 specs by a private party. While the De Tomaso
factory public relations personnel are extremely helpful, and are capable
of answering a query to determine if a specific car was constructed as a
Gr3, at this time they don’t have a complete list of all Gr3 cars made, but
they have committed to researching the information for the next edition of
the De Tomaso registry.
The process of building a Gr3 Pantera started in the engine room. De
Tomaso certified the Gr3 Pantera with either a standard cast-iron intake
manifold and Motorcraft carburetor, or an optional aluminum Ford manifold
with a Holley R-4777 650 cfm manual-secondary carburetor. The stock oil
pan was replaced with a large (8 liter on early cars, 10 liter on later
cars) pan with an integral windage tray and an optional removable chassis
cross member.
Standard exhaust manifolds, and later European GTS exhaust headers were
fitted (consisting of 4-into-2-into-1 headers with a 2 1/2 inch collector),
and the 2 1/2 inch tailpipes fed into either low-restriction ANSA GTS
mufflers, or the so-called Gr3 mufflers (GTS-style muffler cans with no
internals, and hence no sound-reduction capabilities.) Finally, the entire
muffler assemblies could be deleted and replaced by simple straight exhaust
pipes. One would hope the engines were thoroughly checked over and
received careful blueprinting and hand-assembly at the factory, but there
is no evidence the De Tomaso engine-builders weren’t simply affixing these
bolt-on parts to otherwise-standard engines.
The radiator was unmodified, although optional 8-bladed fans replaced the
standard units. The chassis received only subtle tweaks initially. The
same Ariston adjustable shocks fitted to conventional Panteras were
standard on the Gr3 version, but there were two levels of Koni shock
upgrades available. The first featured internal rebound adjustment only,
while the top-of-the-line shocks had a threaded aluminum body with
ride-height adjustment, and external controls for compression and rebound
adjustment, with over 100 different combinations available. The
top-of-the-line shock package cost an additional $1,000 back in 1973, quite
a serious investment when you consider you could buy an entire
street Pantera for under $10,000!
The Gr3 Panteras were equipped with the same springs as the European GTS,
with only one optional spacer listed (presumably for rally cars.) The
steering rack was repositioned using spacers to alleviate bump-steer
concerns, but the control arms and sway bars were the same as those fitted
on production Panteras.
The brakes consisted of standard Pantera calipers squeezing ventilated
discs measuring 282mm in diameter and 20mm thick, and actuated by a
standard master cylinder; this was a common option for Euro GTS Panteras as
well. Standard 7- and 8-inch Campagnolo wheels and Michelin radial XWX
185/70 and 215/70 tires were fitted.
In 1974, the FIA approved further modifications to the suspension. The
rear hub carriers and front spindles were replaced by heavier Group 4
units, and the brakes were changed by using a larger master cylinder,
larger cast-iron three-piston front calipers with 288mm x 31.75mm front
rotors, and larger cast-iron three-piston rear calipers with standard GTS
vented rotors and stronger axles with heavy-duty wheel studs.Although
similar in appearance, these were not the same brakes as used on the Group
4 Panteras, but this system later became standard issue on the GT5 and
GT5-S. Small auxiliary rear calipers with their own small pads were used
for the parking brake.
The stock sway bars were replaced with an adjustable system,
philosophically similar to, but mechanically different from, the adjustable
bars featured on the Group 4 Panteras. The then-common 10-inch Campagnolo
Euro GTS wheel was allowed for fitment in the rear, and 8-inch wheels were
issued for the front.
The interior of the Gr3 Pantera was surprisingly mundane. Earlier cars had
the two-pod dashboard, while later cars received either the one-piece
molded USA L-model dashboard, or the similar-appearing two-piece
upholstered Euro GTS dashboard; all were fitted with metric gauges and
European switchgear. The stock seat belts were retained with a race
harness installed for the driver only, and the standard Pantera seats were
supplanted by one-piece racing bucket seats, the same as those in the Group
4 Panteras.
(Interestingly enough, these one-piece racing seats were actually
constructed from the remains of the prototype Pantera’s radical “picket
fence” seats. Those seats consisted of a sheetmetal frame, fitted with
yellow foam blocks. Visually striking, but judged by Ford as being too
weird for the marketplace, they never went into production. As De Tomaso
had already produced many of these frames, they simply upholstered them
with light padding and turned them into race car seats.)
Heavily padded bolsters, as used in the Group 4 cars, were sometimes fitted
to the door panels on one or both sides.
On some cars, the ignition switch was later relocated from under the
dashboard to the middle of the center console, behind the ashtray, and
within easy reach of the driver while he was belted in. A fire
extinguisher was bolted to the floor in front of the passenger seat.
The USA-model steering wheel was standard equipment, but buyers had the
option of fitting the three-spoke Euro GTS Momo Prototipo wheel or the
smaller Group 4 Momo Prototipo wheel instead. Interestingly, the Gr3
Panteras were sold with full heating and air conditioning, electric
windows, a radio aerial bolted to the roof, and a pair of speakers
installed in the center kick panels (one in front of the gas pedal, and the
other pointing into the passenger footwell), but no radio was included.
Air horns were also optional.
The plexiglass rear window and six-point roll cage of the Group
4 Pantera were standard issue in the Gr3 cars as well. Furthermore, the
front engine cover was modified to allow easy access to the front of the
engine without requiring the removal of the entire back panel (which would
have required removal of the roll cage!)
Cosmetically, the Gr3 Panteras slowly changed as the production Panteras
changed. Early Gr3 cars carried standard two-piece front and rear
bumperettes. After the introduction of the L-model Pantera, some Gr3 cars
were equipped with early-style front bumperettes incorporating the front
turn signals, while others had European L-model bumperettes with the turn
signals residing in the standard L-model pods on the underside of the front
fenders. Turn signal lenses were either clear with a colored bulb, or
bi-color with an amber and a clear section.
Some cars retained two-piece rear bumperettes while others received the
European L-model one-piece rear bumper (which was the same as the USA
L-model bumper, except that instead of being mounted on hydraulic rams, it
was mounted on solid brackets, considerably closer to the car’s body.)
Both front and rear bumpers on Gr3 cars were normally chrome.
There were various driving and fog light packages issued; some cars
received Carello fog lights, while others received massive lighting arrays
for nighttime rally racing. For the first few years, a simple flat blade
front spoiler with cooling ducts for the front brakes was installed while
later cars got a miniature air dam (also a common option on the post-1976
European GTS) and small, riveted-on GTS flares.
Apparently few of the Gr3 cars received the Euro GTS paint scheme, with a
blacked-out front hood and rear decklid and blacked-out rocker panels. The
Gr3 Pantera shown in the factory brochure and postcards is solid yellow.
In most cases, the European GTS rocker panel decal (which said “De Tomaso”
in large letters, then had the words “Pantera” in smaller script, above the
word “GTS”) was used, but modified to delete the mention of “GTS.”
As with the Group 4 cars, rubber tie-downs were used to secure the front
hood and rear decklid, although unlike the Group 4, the sheet metal was
standard steel instead of aluminum. An external battery cut-off switch
without a removable key was fitted to the right front fender; the same
switch was mounted on the Group 4 cars.
The documentation on racing Panteras is sketchy at best; it’s difficult to
say exactly how many were built. At least one owner claims that his Gr3 is
one of only 10 cars produced by the factory, but the De Tomaso Registrary
now lists at least 13 claimed Gr3 cars (although it’s possible that some of
those were converted from regular production Panteras.)
Regards,
Steven G. Lisa, Esq.
*The Law Offices of Lisa & Lesko, LLC*
Email: SteveLisa at PatentIt.com
Direct: 480-442-0297
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-------------- next part --------------
All,A
I have posted some of the photos we have gathered (there are many more)
showing the modification history for SN5533 in its journey from Asa Jay
to its current race trim.A I am happy to answer any questions.A There
are many more photos in my son's (Tony) phone, which I am trying to
coax out of him.A Here is the link to the file share:
* [1]https://photos.app.goo.gl/c1NsfZraJ9cdbh5Q9
Briefly, we started with the goal of making the Pantera an SVRA Gold
Medallion Group 3 racer.A Initially, in the older folders and in the
trim it raced in Portolan a few years ago, it was indeed limited
strictly to only the "true" Group 3 mods as allowed as of 12/1972 FIA
Group 3 specs.
Our thought was that we have enough of the more modified race cars in
the stable, and we wanted the Pantera to remain street legal and "out"
of the more heavily modified categories of vintage racing (e.g., the
notorious Group 6).A We have spent aA bunch of time racing in Group 6,
and the cars are heavily modified with huge HP, etc.A We still do race
in GroupA 6 and Group 10 with our appropriate cars.A But, the goal
here was to get the Pantera into Group 3 - true early FIA racers.A
Unfortunately, we quickly found out that a Pantera that was strictly
compliant with the 12/1972 FIA Group 3 rules was not a fun (or even
safe) car to drive.A So, we abandoned the goal of limiting the mods
strictly to the 12/1972 FIA rules, and instead,A try to "walk the fine
line" by making the mods that were "allowed" by the SVRA and other
rules outside of Gold Medallion but within Group 3.A A
When we signed up for the big WIC Challenge at Road America and
submitted our specifications sheet for the Pantera, we were initially
put in Group 6, which was incredibly disappointing.A However, when we
arrived for technical inspection, we were promptly moved to Group 3.A
Jack Woehrle -- the chief technical inspector for HSR, congratulated us
on a build that was well within the Group 3 spirit, with only tasteful
and safety-inspired mods.A Goal accomplished!
Before getting to the technical mods, I want to say thank you to all
the members of this forum that contributed to our build, answered my
(often repeated) questions, showed up the races, and generally kept us
motivated on the project.A I think we are close to done on the build
SN5533-- we now intend to race the crap out of it.A We had a
successful run at Road America a few weeks (first in class and 10th
overall in Group 3).A Our next race for SN5533 is the Columbia River
Classic in Portland September 4-5.A From there, we head to the
Historic Daytona 24-hour classic.A We will bring two cars to Daytona,
and the Pantera will probably run the HSR sprint races and not the full
24-hour race (which we will run in the Panoz GT2 endurance car).A A
Here is the progression of mods that we made and the logic, and if sort
the images in the folder by time you can see how the progression
occurred.A Please feel free to ask any questions.A Also - I am sure
there are some additional mods you will see in the images that are
relatively minor and self-apparent (e.g., emergency off switch, some
additional sensors/gauges, etc.).A Feel free to ask any questions.A
The limited mods allowed (and made to SN5533) that were specified by
the FIA as of December 31, 1972:
1. plexiglass rear window
2. Roll cage and bars to back towers
3. Moving the radiator catch can to accommodate the roll bar
4. racing seats
5. radio delete
6. internally adjustable (rebound) Koni shocks
The additional mods also expressly allowed by SVRA Gold Medallion
rules, and made by us to SN5533:
1. improved / modern seats
2. improvedA roll cage (driver/passenger intrusion, etc.)
3. fire system
4. removal of all glass (and glass systems) with replacement using
plexiglass (except for front window).A [Note side plexiglass
quarter windows]
The SVRA also allows the following on theA PanteraA outsideA of Gold
Medallion, which we made to SN5533:
1. AccusumpA
2. Weber carbs (or similar) and manifold
3. Period lip spoiler (must be mounted completely below the hub
centerline)
4. Stock appearing aftermarket heads of correct material and plug
location
5. Roller type camshaft and roller rocker arms
6. MSD type electronic ignition, must be triggered from distributor
Additional mods were made to SN5533 that weA believed would not kick us
out of Group 3.A Most of these mods were at some point allowed in the
later Group 3 FIA rules:
1. 10" rear and 8" front wheels (initially Bassett wheels to test, but
later purchased the Superlite's you see in the pics with custom
backspacing)A
2. replacement fan for the radiator
3. brake ducting in the front
4. use of the '73 GTS Exhaust and hollowed mufflers
5. GTS front spoiler that is on the car with proper ducting
6. Smallest Wildwood brake, master cylinder, pedal upgrade
(pre-approved by SVRA as safety upgrade)
7. bigger swaybars front and rear
8. Complete rewiring of the car, using as much of the original wiring
and routing as possible, with upgraded fuse paneling
9. removal of a/c components
10. lowering of seats
11. A few spring rates for the F/R shocks
12. 10-quartA racing oil pan
13. Racing brake lines and racing fluid hoses
14. re-routing the oil cooler to back
15. upgraded racing radiator
16. cutting air holes in front bay and pinning/raising front hood 2
inches
17. Additional bracing underneath rear top suspension points
18. stripping and repainting trunk
Engine configuration - we have three engines for SN5533.A A
1. The original motor was rebuilt and put away with only dyno time.A
We made no mods whatsoever to that engine, and do not intend to use
it.A A
2. We have a second motor, which is a 351 Cleveland built to 1969 SCCA
Trans-Am specs.A The build sheet has running at around 475 HP and
450 ft-lbs.A Unfortunately, when we put it in the car it felt soft
with not great oil pressure.A You can see some of the pics of that
motor in the car with the GTS exhaust system and gutted motors.A
Sounded awesome, but ran poorly.A So, that motor was taken out and
sent to our motor builder in Tucson (making our NASCAR motors).A
TheA rebuild with further and better "oiling fixes" is nearly done
on a complete rebuild with further upgrades, and will be our
primary engine when done - but it very rowdy and loud with the GTS
headers and gutted exhaust.A A
3. Our third motor is CLEVOR race motor that, frankly, is an awesome
motor.A It has a ton of HP and torque (about 450 each), runs low
(unstressed) RPM's (limited at 6000 rpm) and works just fine (so
far).A We are running the CLEVOR with the 100% stock 1973 exhaust
system.A It is an easy motor to drive, streetable, quiet, but
raceable.A That is what we ran at Road America to a top speed of
145 mph on the front straight and a low time of 2:36.A The engine
was welcome in HSR Group 3 -- again, mission accomplished.A
Transaxle - we have two transaxles for SN5533
1. The original ZF, which we sent out for rebuild to our desert
transaxle builder.A He said the condition was a-ok.A So, we are
currently racing the ZF.A I am not anxious to continue racing the
original ZF for SN5533.
2. So, we have a Quiaffe ZF that I bought many years ago for our CAV
GT40 race car.A We have had it flipped for use in the Pantera.A
We are looking to engineer and complete that swap early next
year.A
A A Finally, we also paid attention to the following article written
years ago by Mike Drew:
GROUP 3A PANTERA
While a Group 4A PanteraA is a dedicated, purpose-built race car that
usedA PanteraA architecture but a unique chassis and suspension, the
FIA Group 3 rules were far more restrictive, as the FIA intended for
this class to consist solely of essentially stock, unmodified
production sports cars.A Initially, modifications from standard,
production-car specification were few, mostly relating to pure safety
issues, but after a few years, as the series evolved, the list of
allowable modifications grew for all cars competing in Group 3.
Unlike the Group 4 Panteras which were built utilizing special
components, all Group 3 Panteras were constructed from ordinary,
production-line European Panteras.A As they were all built to
individual customer order, itas difficult to generalize about them.A
Furthermore, the nature of bespoke De Tomaso automobiles makes it even
more difficult to differentiate between different models, since it was
possible for any European customer to order each of the components used
to create a Gr3A PanteraA directly from the factory, and modify a
standard car to that specification after the fact and then race it.A A
It was also possible to order a Euro GTS and then have it built with
all the Gr3 components at the factory.A So there is a very fine line
between a factory-built Gr3 race car, a Euro GTS fitted with Gr3
components, and a race car converted to Gr3 specs by a private party.A
While the De Tomaso factory public relations personnel are extremely
helpful, and are capable of answering a query to determine if a
specific car was constructed as a Gr3, at this time they donat have a
complete list of all Gr3 cars made, but they have committed to
researching the information for the next edition of the De Tomaso
registry.
The process of building a Gr3A PanteraA started in the engine room.A
De Tomaso certified the Gr3A PanteraA with either a standard cast-iron
intake manifold and Motorcraft carburetor, or an optional aluminum Ford
manifold with a Holley R-4777 650 cfm manual-secondary carburetor.A
The stock oil pan was replaced with a large (8 liter on early cars, 10
liter on later cars) pan with an integral windage tray and an optional
removable chassis cross member.
Standard exhaust manifolds, and later European GTS exhaust headers were
fitted (consisting of 4-into-2-into-1 headers with a 2 1/2 inch
collector), and the 2 1/2 inch tailpipes fed into either
low-restriction ANSA GTS mufflers, or the so-called Gr3 mufflers
(GTS-style muffler cans with no internals, and hence no sound-reduction
capabilities.)A Finally, the entire muffler assemblies could be
deleted and replaced by simple straight exhaust pipes.A One would hope
the engines were thoroughly checked over and received careful
blueprinting and hand-assembly at the factory, but there is no evidence
the De Tomaso engine-builders werenat simply affixing these bolt-on
parts to otherwise-standard engines.
The radiator was unmodified, although optional 8-bladed fans replaced
the standard units. The chassis received only subtle tweaks
initially.A The same Ariston adjustable shocks fitted to conventional
Panteras were standard on the Gr3 version, but there were two levels of
Koni shock upgrades available.A The first featured internal rebound
adjustment only, while the top-of-the-line shocks had a threaded
aluminum body with ride-height adjustment, and external controls for
compression and rebound adjustment, with over 100 different
combinations available.A The top-of-the-line shock package cost an
additional $1,000 back in 1973, quite a serious investment when you
consider you could buy an entire streetA PanteraA for under $10,000!
The Gr3 Panteras were equipped with the same springs as the European
GTS, with only one optional spacer listed (presumably for rally
cars.)A The steering rack was repositioned using spacers to alleviate
bump-steer concerns, but the control arms and sway bars were the same
as those fitted on production Panteras.
The brakes consisted of standardA PanteraA calipers squeezing
ventilated discs measuring 282mm in diameter and 20mm thick, and
actuated by a standard master cylinder; this was a common option for
Euro GTS Panteras as well.A Standard 7- and 8-inch Campagnolo wheels
and Michelin radial XWX 185/70 and 215/70 tires were fitted.
In 1974, the FIA approved further modifications to the suspension.A
The rear hub carriers and front spindles were replaced by heavier Group
4 units, and the brakes were changed by using a larger master cylinder,
larger cast-iron three-piston front calipers with 288mm x 31.75mm front
rotors, and larger cast-iron three-piston rear calipers with standard
GTS vented rotors and stronger axles with heavy-duty wheel
studs.Although similar in appearance, these were not the same brakes as
used on the Group 4 Panteras, but this system later became standard
issue on the GT5 and GT5-S.A Small auxiliary rear calipers with their
own small pads were used for the parking brake.
The stock sway bars were replaced with an adjustable system,
philosophically similar to, but mechanically different from, the
adjustable bars featured on the Group 4 Panteras.A The then-common
10-inch Campagnolo Euro GTS wheel was allowed for fitment in the rear,
and 8-inch wheels were issued for the front.
The interior of the Gr3A PanteraA was surprisingly mundane.A Earlier
cars had the two-pod dashboard, while later cars received either the
one-piece molded USA L-model dashboard, or the similar-appearing
two-piece upholstered Euro GTS dashboard; all were fitted with metric
gauges and European switchgear.A The stock seat belts were retained
with a race harness installed for the driver only, and the
standardA PanteraA seats were supplanted by one-piece racing bucket
seats, the same as those in the Group 4 Panteras.
(Interestingly enough, these one-piece racing seats were actually
constructed from the remains of the prototypeA Panteraas radical
apicket fencea seats.A Those seats consisted of a sheetmetal frame,
fitted with yellow foam blocks.A Visually striking, but judged by Ford
as being too weird for the marketplace, they never went into
production.A As De Tomaso had already produced many of these frames,
they simply upholstered them with light padding and turned them into
race car seats.)
Heavily padded bolsters, as used in the Group 4 cars, were sometimes
fitted to the door panels on one or both sides.
On some cars, the ignition switch was later relocated from under the
dashboard to the middle of the center console, behind the ashtray, and
within easy reach of the driver while he was belted in.A A fire
extinguisher was bolted to the floor in front of the passenger seat.
The USA-model steering wheel was standard equipment, but buyers had the
option of fitting theA three-spoke Euro GTS Momo Prototipo wheel or
the smaller Group 4 Momo Prototipo wheel instead.A Interestingly, the
Gr3 Panteras were sold with full heating and air conditioning, electric
windows, a radio aerial bolted to the roof, and a pair of speakers
installed in the center kick panels (one in front of the gas pedal, and
the other pointing into the passenger footwell), but no radio was
included.A Air horns were also optional.
The plexiglass rear window and six-point roll cage of the Group
4A PanteraA were standard issue in the Gr3 cars as well.A Furthermore,
the front engine cover was modified to allow easy access to the front
of the engine without requiring the removal of the entire back panel
(which would have required removal of the roll cage!)
Cosmetically, the Gr3 Panteras slowly changed as the production
Panteras changed.A Early Gr3 cars carried standard two-piece front and
rear bumperettes.A After the introduction of the L-modelA Pantera,
some Gr3 cars were equipped with early-style front bumperettes
incorporating the front turn signals, while others had European L-model
bumperettes with the turn signals residing in the standard L-model pods
on the underside of the front fenders.A Turn signal lenses were either
clear with a colored bulb, or bi-color with an amber and a clear
section.
Some cars retained two-piece rear bumperettes while others received the
European L-model one-piece rear bumper (which was the same as the USA
L-model bumper, except that instead of being mounted on hydraulic rams,
it was mounted on solid brackets, considerably closer to the caras
body.)A Both front and rear bumpers on Gr3 cars were normally chrome.
There were various driving and fog light packages issued; some cars
received Carello fog lights, while others received massive lighting
arrays for nighttime rally racing.A For the first few years, a simple
flat blade front spoiler with cooling ducts for the front brakes was
installed while later cars got a miniature air dam (also a common
option on the post-1976 European GTS) and small, riveted-on GTS flares.
Apparently few of the Gr3 cars received the Euro GTS paint scheme, with
a blacked-out front hood and rear decklid and blacked-out rocker
panels.A The Gr3A PanteraA shown in the factory brochure and postcards
is solid yellow.A In most cases, the European GTS rocker panel decal
(which said aDe Tomasoa in large letters, then had the words aPanteraa
in smaller script, above the word aGTSa) was used, but modified to
delete the mention of aGTS.a
As with the Group 4 cars, rubber tie-downs were used to secure the
front hood and rear decklid, although unlike the Group 4, the sheet
metal was standard steel instead of aluminum.A An external battery
cut-off switch without a removable key was fitted to the right front
fender; the same switch was mounted on the Group 4 cars.
The documentation on racing Panteras is sketchy at best; itas difficult
to say exactly how many were built.A At least one owner claims that
his Gr3 is one of only 10 cars produced by the factory, but the De
Tomaso Registrary now lists at least 13 claimed Gr3 cars (although itas
possible that some of those were converted from regular production
Panteras.)A A A
Regards,A
Steven G. Lisa, Esq.
The Law Offices of Lisa & Lesko, LLC
Email: SteveLisa at PatentIt.comA
Direct: 480-442-0297
[2]www.PatentIt.com
Scottsdale OfficeA |A P:A 480.535.6656A |A A F:A 480.535.6628A
|A A A:A 7689 East Paradise Lane, Suite 2, Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Chicago OfficeA |A P: 312.752.4357A |A F: 312.896.5633A |A A: 55 E.
Monroe Street, Suite 3800, Chicago, IL 60603
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