On November 16, 2002, I purchased 2511.
I had located it on eBay where it had a reserve of $50K and had no bids. Luckily for me, it was in Medford, Oregon where Paul Rimov had just finished his meticulous Euro GTS restoration. After verifying with Rai at Quella's shop that 2511 had indeed received a full bare-metal restoration in the late 90's, a trip to Medford where Paul and I did a full driving and up-on-a-lift inspection, and several months of price bickering, I drove 2511 home on 11-17-02.
My maiden voyage in 2511 was 510 miles home to Fresno, in one day.
Since then, I've attended Fun Rallys, Monterey Weekends, numerous PCNC meetings and events, numerous foothill driving jaunts (including the famous off-road adventure that resulted in 15 months of down-time while repairs were made), and many weekend trips with my wife.
2511 has never left me stranded, has always performed flawlessly and is still the awesome experience I had dreamed of for three decades.
In the 69 months of available driving time,I've put 35,990 miles on the odometer - an average of over 500 miles each month.
But the best unexpected bonus of owning a Pantera has been the fellowship of the rest of the De Tomaso Family. Truly an amazing eclectic collection of people, all united in our common love for an uncommon car.
Thanks guys, and gals.
May your years of ownership continue to be as great as mine have been.
Larry - caretaker of 2511
(heading home on 11-17-02)
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