Pantera Europe Club

- PANTERA EUROPE CLUB –
- MEETING INAUGURAL A PARIS LE 23 JANVIER 2010 -

This Saturday, January 23rd 2010, during the Retromobile Classic Auto Show in Paris, we held the first lunch and dinner to celebrate the birth of the new Pantera Europe Club.
It really was a great success, and I wish to thank all those who made me the pleasure and the honor of attending. For those who couldn’t be there, no problem, we shall meet at Le Mans Classic 2010, on 9-10 and 11 july, and you’ll be able to safely park your toy inside the race track ( see below) . I hope my factory GR4 Candy 2862 will be present on Plateau 6 with the other selected Panteras, which would make the event even more enjoyable !
We were more than 70 people at lunch and dinner, in a very relax, joyful and sportsty atmosphere ! The US POCA club ( Pantera Owners Club of America, www.poca.com) the largest Pantera club in existence, through a personal message of its President Marc McWhinney, made us the honor of fully endorsing our initiative !
Eight nations were present ( UK, B, D, NL, F, I, CH, RO ) with the presence and the support of clubs represented by their President ( or lady President), such as De Tomaso Drivers Club ( UK ) Pantera French Connection ( F ) De Tomaso Deutschland , De Tomaso Switzerland, De Tomaso Friends ( CH ) . Numerous European countries don’t even have a national De Tomaso club, and we were glad to welcome Italian ( ! ) Romanian ( ! ) Belgian ( I am one of those ) and Dutch friends. This is a very positive start for the European Club ( to my knowledge, it is the first automobile club ever to claim a full European coverage).
During the two events, we welcomed several key people in the DT history, but also people who could become important for the club’s development in the future. So, Claude DUBOIS ( Founder of the eponyme Team in the 70’s, 8 times Le Mans driver , ex importer of DT, Shelby, AC, Chrysler ….in period. ) Pierre RUBENS, (LM driver of VIN 2860 Team Claude Dubois in 1975, 16th OA, 8th in class 35 years ago ), Jean Luc KRAHE, representing Spa Italia ( see below) , the honor guest of Pantera French Connection, Gautier ROSSIGNOL ( detailing the LMC 2010 event, and encouraging us to participate massively) , Pieter BOEL ( owner-driver of factory GR4 VIN 2858 ex Spitfero ) , Horia POPESCU, representing Romania, Peter SAYWELL and Phil STEBBINGS, accompanied by many British supporters and friends, representing the British DTDC. Also, at lunch, Jean Pierre MAGALHAES ( owner-organizer of Spa Italia ), Dan ERCULISSE , organizer of the next Brussels-Le Mans Classic rally ( see below) , Jürg ALBERS, President of the Swiss De Tomaso-Friends Club, and , last but not least, Jean Charles COLOMBIER , French Pantera aficionado who assisted me so efficiently with the Candy Team at LMC 2008, and who is actively working on the first encyclopedia of ALL cars and PILOTS who drove at Le Mans since 1923 !
In short, great people, great atmosphere, and several scoops to come !
For 2011, celebrating the event’s 10th anniversary, SPA ITALIA ( www.spaitalia.be) suggests that DT will be the honored marque . Spa Italia is a yearly event, held in June on the Formula One Spa Francorchamps racetrack, celebrating a famous Italian marque.
No doubt we shall gather a very important amount of DT cars, ( more than at the 50th birthday in Modena last year ? ) all models together. Providing a modest fee, every car owner may have access to the race track, and test drive his car with or without passenger(s).
Re. LE MANS CLASSIC (in barely 5 months from now) , Gautier ROSSIGNOL happily gave us lots of details on how to participate, and reserved a VIP area ( with red carpet) for the Pantera French Connection of Michèle and Stéphane BERGERON.
You may have access on the real race track that will be used during the week end ( including the Mulsanne straight ) for a very moderate fee ! Gautier was cheerfully applaused. Get in touch with Michèle for further details ( bergeron.mi@wanadoo.fr) Only a few places left for the track laps ( the VIP area is OK ) , so hurry.
Also, two « balad-rallies » are organized in relationship with LMC : Charles McCALL ( charlesmccall@gmail.com) organizes ( from Spain) for the second time, a very friendly-successful-unformal rally touring the Châteaux de la Loire ( including some interesting and politically uncorrect ( but so enjoyable) wine tastings…) leading to Le Mans Classic, ( infos on http://www.poca.com/index.php/...ery/?g2_itemId=13264 ) and also, Dan ERCULISSE organizes, from Brussels, the « Bruxelles- Le Mans »( http://www.brussels-lemans.com/)
Please do not hesitate to circulate this newsletter, to owners ( or future owners ) of DT cars, and send me full data for future contacts.( telephone, private address, …)
Being a member of the European Club is free of charge. At the time of speaking about the marque being recently purchased by Italian millionnaire and automotive top executive GianMarco ROSSIGNOLO, who intends to present a phenomenal Pantera concept car at the Geneva Auto Show in 2011, it is important to get together and show that we exist as a real team on European scale.
As for now, being an « official » member is only possible through Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/group....184092540118&ref=ts, but within a couple of weeks, a new website will be launched, and it will be easier for everyone.
See you all at Le Mans Classic

Patrick Hals
30 January 2010.