quote:Originally posted by edmguru:
...King George...
Some of the engineers I work with refer to me by that title, but they use it in a very sarcastic, insulting way.
I'm a history buff, I have a working understanding of Pantera production history. I don't intend to come across as a know it all. If I do I apologize.
Each Pantera has 2 build dates. The date incorporated into the VIN (aka chassis number) is the month/year the coach was built by Vignale in Turin, including the interior. Afterwards the finished coaches were trucked to Modena, and dropped off in a vacant lot, awaiting installation of the suspension & drivetrain by Ford/DeTomaso. The month & year the drivetrain was installed is indicated by the tag in the door jamb. Sometimes the dates are the same, sometimes the date on the door jamb is a month or two later. There are a few pushbuttons in which the dates are more than a year apart.
The VIN on Brad's Pantera (chassis 4295) indicates the COACH was built in June 1972, but since his car has the L model bumpers, I can guarantee the tag in the door jamb says it was built in August 1972, a two month discrepancy.
The drivetrains were not installed in the same order the coaches were finished either. The first L was chassis 4269, Brad's is chassis 4295, which are 26 coaches apart. However, Brad's car may be the second L made, or the 100th L made. The number that indicates the order of "final assembly" is the body service number, which is a secondary tag riveted onto the foot box in the front boot.
The only Pantera historian who has attempted to collect the body service numbers has been Bill Van Ess.
King George