I’m sure I’ve read somewhere that he’s a ‘bit dodgy’. I’ve not had a reason to mention him before, he tried to sell us factory records regarding our car and was warned not to buy from him.
He’s now called me out as a liar on a Facebook group regarding the German finished Mangustas.
Anyone else had dealings with him?
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A liar calles some one a liar… that Vito does not exist, it is Phillipe „the faker“ Olzcyck behind that name…
@mwelter posted:A liar calles some one a liar… that Vito does not exist, it is Phillipe „the faker“ Olzcyck behind that name…
I thought so. We are selling a Bizzarrini P538, and received an email telling us it was fake, and we’d be having legal action taken against us, despite the fact it’s a genuine car, confirmed by Bizzarrini and his wife.
...so funny...a man takes another's name and lives in a fiction, then accuses others of lying. Even creates dedicated websites to hide behind who he is. And may be trying to make a living with documents that were never his to take.
I bought some Mangusta parts taken off a car decades ago, a beautiful car...Years later, after the car had changed hands a few times, apparently the Pseudonym approached the current owner with the promise that his car was very specially built by the factory, just cut the check and you'll see.... But no--the parts were ordinary J-code 302. At least, if anybody is told that their build sheet proves something extraordinary, then you should demand a guarantee that the specific item is in fact proven by the buildsheet.
The ownership of the original buildsheets here is not clear to me. In US state law, yeah indeed there is a criminal statute of limitations for simple theft, and that time has expired. But if the piece was stolen it has "void title" , if in fact the item was stolen the rightful owner can demand its return. Meaning, even if a car owner pays $5000 to get 'their' document and believes that Vito was somehow the rightful owner, even pays a proper amount and would otherwise be considered an innocent purchaser, in fact the document still belongs to earlier victim (who as I understand, operates a business in southern California). I know its an unlikely result, but think Nazi Art--If the rightful owner then demands the item be returned, the lawbreaker then can become the person holding the item, not the person who took it or stole it.
If the real Author would write a book with the details of the Mangusta build--documenting which cars were built in Germany and key build dates--I'd buy it. But not another $300 picture book...and its harder and harder to be interested when the facts themselves won't be credible.
He's called the German connection the work of Santa Claus! I asked him to explain the Mercedes handbrake lever, and many other small differences, to which he replied ' I have ALL the original build sheets for Mangusta, you are wrong'.
It's a shame people have to be like this, it was on a Facebook group that low and behold, he's the admin of.
...well, there go my hopes that someday he may write a credible history of the Mangusta! Lee
He tried to sell me information about my car but I told him I would trade him for documentation that I had from GM. Never heard from him again. He is on ths site offering, with his "mother", help to do my book afterit was finished.
DICK RUZZIN
I would love to see Mr. Vito assert who his mother is, or claim how he is related to anybody who had anything to do with the car. Vito claims he started working at DeTomaso in 1970? I'd love to hear about it.
As for the real family, I'm pretty sure they have other places in life where they'd rather focus than the Vito nonsense. The real Mrs. DeTomaso must genuinely have a real story to tell (and if remember correctly, didn't she chip in affirming the German connection that Vito says is fiction)? But I doubt she feels the slightest need to impress anyone. I adore what Wellis has communicated about her attention to small details on the car.
But Phillipe thinks he sits on 7000 Pantera documents at $1000 each, and 400 Mangusta at $5000 each...?
Face it, Santiago sold the documents to P.O. And is more than questionable, if Isabella gave her permission on the deal. Isabella always made a big secret on company behalfs and still doesn’t want to speak to the public about it. Even William Ellis does not really come out with the things, that where going on in Modena after the death of Alejandro deTomaso. P.O. Ist just kind of a bad dealer, involved in several fakes in the vintage car market. Every one, who want‘s to buy „documents“ from these crooks should be aware of it.
...I'm not at all even convinced the documents were sold, my guess is they were simply taken. When I went looking for my build sheet about 4 years ago, I called the fellow in Southern California who had bought the physical inventory at DeT, told me that the company records were part of the purchase but for some reason, he couldn't get an answer from Italy. Even gave me Santiago's phone number (!) But to see the one in possession of the documents explain his heroism, how he 'saved' the documents from the building. In other words, the door wasn't locked so I went in and helped myself. The only one who somehow imagined the papers were worth millions of dollars was the person who loaded their car with them. And his friend Harvey the rabbit...
I would not in the slightest way point a finger at Mrs. DeT or say a bad word of the family. I'd guess that the family is proud and strong and doesn't owe the rest of us a justification, or even a defense.
There is another source of over ~200 build sheets, I remember, for Mangusta. He didn't have mine. But not all is truly lost, its just that others have picked a different course for spending their life.
I miss Wellis' insight on this blog, but as I see it, Mrs. DeT has had a remarkable life of real character, in an incredible time in history--Lee