Reply to "More Updates to the De Tomaso Registry"

Right Josh, I certainly can't be adament about anything. There is a good possibility the car was sitting around either Vignale or Fossalta in 1972, unfinished, and may very well have become the first GTS or something.

Ford was in control of production in that era, of both the North American bound cars, and the European deliveries as well. It was not the wild wild west. Left over push button cars did exist, as Gary's push button proves. They would have been sitting off to the side at Vignali, in Turin, or the Fossalta plant in Modena.

The red flag regarding chassis #01242 is the door handles, they should be pushbuttons with that chasis number. One possible explanation is that chassis #01242 may have been reassigned to a later car because the original car bearing that number had been somehow destroyed.

As Ben's data base grows, we shall learn more. I check it from time to time, because I know where the holes in my knowledge are, and a couple of my questions have already been answered via his web site.

Its fun for me, because my mind works in such a way that history, or more accurately "understanding progression", consumes my thinking sometimes.

Josh thanks for posting, because you've reminded me of something I wanted to mention to Ben.

Ben, if at all possible, please collect build dates on the cars as you collect the other data. That would help us understand the production history much better, especially were irregularities occur.

Your friend on the DTBB, George