Reply to "Spa Italia 2012"

You're partially right.

I've only attended one DeTomaso event sans-Pantera - in 1999 I went to an event organized by the DeTomaso factory in Modena, leaving my Pantera home (I was living in France at the time) because I "thought it was too far to drive".

The Factory was kind enough to organize busses to haul around everyone who came without a DeTOmaso car, and it was horrible for me... looking out the bus window at all the DeTomasos - Panteras, Guaras, Mangustas - having fun while I was sitting in a bus. I felt like a kid at a candy store, looking in at all the goodies but couldn't enter.

I swore I'd never again miss an International Meeting, and would never leave my car home again. I haven't missed one since :-) Austria isn't exactly just down the street from Spain, but we've driven there twice in the past 3-4 years. Have to keep the oil companies in business.

That being said, if my Pantera broke, I'd rather attend in a rental car than sit at home. But I think your non-alcoholic beer comparison is pretty accurate.

Anyway, yes I live in Spain but will organize a tour beginning the previous Saturday in the Loire Valley of France. The idea is meet up with everyone the previous Saturday and spend the days prior to LMC touring around the area as a group, visiting chateaus, medieval towns, wine tasting, eating, drinking, and basically "suffering" :-)

So I'd recommend driving down from Finland and meeting up the previous weekend with "The group". There may be more people coming down from Finland/Norway/Sweden?