quote:Originally posted by Bosswrench:
One of the oldest Registries list #1280 as a '71 Euro pushbutton. The first '72 in that Registry is #2262.
The Detomaso Registry on the Italian Detomaso site is no longer up. They had over a dozen euro push buttons entered as 1972.
It is hard for people to grasp that Detomaso was not Ford and their number system was more of a guideline; especially in the beginning; especially with pushbuttons.
I can see American Pushbuttons all being 1971 as Ford and Detomaso was trying to get away from pushbuttons being sold in the USA for more of a standardized car. This meant all the left over pushbuttons got sent to other countries as my #1280 went to France first.
I suspect latter in production things were sorted but it seems the bastard cars all went to Europe. I can identify over a dozen items on my car which are specific to 1972 cars; the exhaust headers, front uprights, rear decklid etc. Even the trunk release is BOTH on the rear deck AND the door jamb.
Someone once told me Since Shelby made new 1967 Mustangs and licensed them as 1967 Mustangs (when was that, in the 1980's, 1990's) then my Pushbutton must be a 1972.....I say no this justifies what I have been saying.
Shelby made 1967(+/-) Mustangs from supposedly left over 1967 chassis which is the argument. I understand he was latter arrested because the chassis were actually new but bought his way out of it.
But the fact remains that----
Shelby certified them as a 1967 Mustang
The Department Of Transportation certified them as a 1967.
The Pushbuttons pushed off to the side were---
Certified by Detomaso as a 1972
Certified by Italy as a 1972
And mine specifically was certificated by France as a 1972 and now by the USA as a 1972.
The people who say it is not a 1972 but a 1971 are people who try to fit it in a general number order they understand.....because they want to.
Personally, I think the number mismatch s part of the story of who Detomaso was as a company at a period of time. Trying to make numbers fit when it goes against history is to rob who and what they were. Detomaso was not Ford. The Pantera went from the drawing board to production in 11 months. Detomaso tried to keep things in an orderly fashion for the American Ford market to keep Ford happy and sent the left overs to Europe. That is the history.
The dozen or more European 1972 pushbuttons is a perfect example. It is also why you will not find a build sheet in the springs under your seat.