Seat belt mount

Mark, First congradulations on your new aquisition.! My car 1362 has lakewood style lap belts....if i am last ..you must be first?

lpb,

If I remember correctly, the first pushbutton was around 1280. I know it was in the 1200's. Anybody know definitively?

Michael

Michal, the first pushbutton was 1001! The first Pantera had pushbutton doors! LOL

couldn't resist, George

quote:

Originally posted by Mark Mensen:
were all pre L cars like this with just a welded in female nut?

Mark, My car is like that, and it's number 1826.

George,

Wasn't the first Pantera sold in the US in the 1200's?

Michael

I'm thinking that just the L model had the retractable seat belts into the rocker panel area.

Probably just another safety feature like the bigger bumpers

Cool pushbutton site with lots of info
http://www.smartstoreinc.com/pantera/index.html

George,

Visit the link Mark just posted. It says the first Pantera available in the US was 1286. In my earlier post I was thinking about that Pantera, I just didn't type in my full thought. I knew I wasn't completely offbase!

Michael

quote:

Originally posted by lastpushbutton:
Mark, First congradulations on your new aquisition.! My car 1362 has lakewood style lap belts....if i am last ..you must be first?

HEY DUDE!! There is a picture of your car on that site Mark just linked!! Check it out, you are famous!!!
http://www.smartstoreinc.com/pantera/index.html

Michael!

What I seriously know about the early Panteras:

The pushbutton door mechanism was a left-over from the Mangusta. The contract with Ford was signed on 9-9-69. By April 1970 they were hand assembling cars at Vignale in Turin (Torino) Italy. Car #1 was chassis 1001. One of the earliest cars was shipped to the US in April for display at the New York & Los Angeles auto expos that year, I've never read what happened to that car. DeTomaso began selling pushbutton Panteras in Europe in 1970. When shipments of new cars to the USA began in spring of 1971 the remaining, unsold pushbuttons were among the first to be shipped, 6 of those cars went to Ford for testing, much too late in the game, testing should have occured BEFORE any cars were delivered to dealers. This is Ford's mistake, Ray Geddes was in charge of the Pantera project, although Ford employees pointed the finger at the Argentinean guy residing in Italy. Ford purchased Rowan interests in the deTomaso auto companies about this same time (deTomaso, Ghia & Vignale).

Current owners claim chassis 1286 was the first pushbutton in those early 1971 shipments, but I've never read where the cars shipped to Dearborn for testing fit into that sequence. Current owners also claim chassis 1382 was the last pushbutton, which would make chassis 1383 a pre-L, I've never read of that confirmed either.

George

George,

Thanks for the early history lesson of the Pantera! I have one question: Were those of the first Panteras sold in Europe in 1970 that year model, or were they sold as '71's?

Michael

quote:

Originally posted by Cyboman:
George,

Wasn't the first Pantera sold in the US in the 1200's?

Michael

I have 1280 which was 6 prior to the first one sold in USA. My understanding is they pushed asside many of the euro pushbuttons prior to 1286 so they could get the American market going. Mine was actually finished in 1972 and shipped to France where it was imported here in the 80's.

Many people will say when they started doing one thing or another. Example the ridgeline on the trunk, the all pushbuttons had a trunk release on the door frame but some also had it on the trunk, etc. I think much of it is potluck and doesn't always follow the time line or chasis sequence.

My car (1280) is a rough car awaiting restoration. It has fabric covered seats which apear to be original. I don't know for sure. I know they were not recovered since 1985 and they look appropriate.

Gary
1280
1905

Well, Being the LPB is a tough torch to carry. I have made my claims with 1362....The problem is if you go the the previous site of Allen Morris' you will see 1363 and 1365. Well, they actually exist..but I'm keepin' my screen name any way.

Does that mean your not the LPB or just the last known PB?

Gary

Thanks, Gary. That's an interesting story.

------------------------------------

You'll always be LPB to me!

Michael

If uou take the 1287 as the first in...add 75 c imported pushbuttons and you get to 1362.MY car. Like you said, my trunk release is on the deck only...I had a 3 spoke wheel rather than 2.The glove box could have locked. mine does not. And 1363 and 1364 are also at the site earlier in this thread. Maybe i am almost last:{

The mystery is some times a lot of fun. For instance, do you think these were original seats? Do you know of any Pantera's that came with fabric seats? I remember some talk of the idea, the frames are deffinantly Pantera. Question is if the material was replaced. If so it had to of been before 1985:
http://www.rc-tech.net/cars/panttransam/1280/seats.jpg
http://www.rc-tech.net/cars/panttransam/1280/seatback.jpg

Gary

Bill,

was your Pantera manufactured at Vignale (Turin) or at deTomaso (Modena)?

Gary,

Since the head rests don't match the seats, I would say they've been re-upholstered.

George

quote:

Originally posted by george pence:

Gary,

Since the head rests don't match the seats, I would say they've been re-upholstered.



George

I have thought that too but I got one headrest from ebay. I think they would have looked more correct when the fabric was not fadded. If they only made a few cars with fabric they certainly may have used stock headrest. It does not look like custom stitiching. If it was, it was done well (even though it is old and faded now).

Gary

Comp2, Ithink your seats are later than 71 and recovered. The original should be vertical rib like the one in 1362 @ Allens site. He makes my car look better than it is..........I put in vette seats but have saved my originals that have turned into mosty Pleather, via recovering....George, the only plate says Mod 874 Pantera.....build date 3-71 I think the mod is for model and not Modena. The stories I read says it was built during the Vingale period.

Michael,

no one has answered your question regading what the model year of the Euro pushbuttons was. I don't want you to think I ignored you. I don't know the answer, perhaps someone else?

They went into production around April 1970. Mustangs that were sold between April & September 1964 were referred to as '64 1/2. So perhaps the Euro pushbuttons are '70 1/2!

your historically incomplete friend on the PIBB, George

Thanks George. We'll find out... one day.

Maybe Roland or Franz knows.

Michael