Longchamp shocks

Not much is known of the Longchamps here in the US, since none were ever officially imported. Perhaps 20 are in the country. Matt Stone's excellent book, 'The Illustrated Pantera Buyers Guide" mentions that the running gear is 'virtually identical to the Deauville' which is even less-well known but used quadruple rear shocks similar to Jaguars. A cutaway drawing of the Longchamp shows single shocks simlar to the Mangusta and Pantera, so the situation is a bit confused. If you remove & measure your OEM shocks as-assembled, then remove the coil spring and again measure it collapsed, either Koni or some other shock manufacturer will certainly be able to supply a unit that fits. You can then do all your fellow owners a favor by posting your experieces with this beautiful machine. Few vendors have any parts for this car, but Dave Adler (owner of P.I and this site) drives one regularly, and Gary Hall stocks a few obscure parts for all DeTomasos.

Hello,
Linda and I own a Longchamp. When the original shocks went, we put in a set of Aldan brand units. They leaked fluid and were awful. I removed them from the car and even though they are guaranteed, I still have them in the box and would never consider having them rebuilt. I then took my 'Champ to a vendor, that I will leave nameless but not blameless, for new shocks. He selected the same brand you mentioned. Problems right out of the box! One snapped and there was also leakage. The ride is better than the Aldan's, however, considering the price, they simply did not live up to the vendor's representations. I would also note that they do not have enough adjustment to permit to set my car at the proper height either. I don't think that the shocks were created with the Longchamp in mind. Finally, the weight of a Longchamp is considerable and I believe that even though there are four shocks in the rear, they are being tested to the limit. If and when I replace the shocks, I am going to use the PI Motorsports adjustable aluminum ones. This may require a special build up. Since I am an owner of PI Motorsports, my advice is not impartial, however, is based on personal experience. The Longchamp is a terrific car and we have now had 20 years of use and around 70,000 miles of driving pleasure. I hope you solve your problems and let me know what you end up doing.
Cordially and happy holidays,
Dave Adler

hello if push come to shove, you can go to any auto parts store and look in the back of the shock makers catalog and make a shock matching end and length, you may have to do this yourself since most parts people now need a computer to look up a light bulb and have little knowldge of a catlogs contents.

I have two sets of brand new original KONI shocks for the Longchamp and for the Deauville. All 6 shocks for 1100.- Dollar plus shipping from Germany. (Appr.85.-Dollar by mail).
Merry Chrismas,
Roland

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Roland

Dave

Can you email me offline with the price for 6 of these shocks set up for the Longchamp with springs. smmartin7@netscape.net

Scott

quote:

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Originally posted by Admin5:
Hello,
Linda and I own a Longchamp. When the original shocks went, we put in a set of Aldan brand units. They leaked fluid and were awful. I removed them from the car and even though they are guaranteed, I still have them in the box and would never consider having them rebuilt. I then took my 'Champ to a vendor, that I will leave nameless but not blameless, for new shocks. He selected the same brand you mentioned. Problems right out of the box! One snapped and there was also leakage. The ride is better than the Aldan's, however, considering the price, they simply did not live up to the vendor's representations. I would also note that they do not have enough adjustment to permit to set my car at the proper height either. I don't think that the shocks were created with the Longchamp in mind. Finally, the weight of a Longchamp is considerable and I believe that even though there are four shocks in the rear, they are being tested to the limit. If and when I replace the shocks, I am going to use the PI Motorsports adjustable aluminum ones. This may require a special build up. Since I am an owner of PI Motorsports, my advice is not impartial, however, is based on personal experience. The Longchamp is a terrific car and we have now had 20 years of use and around 70,000 miles of driving pleasure. I hope you solve your problems and let me know what you end up doing.
Cordially and happy holidays,
Dave Adler

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