One early exotic car that often gets overlooked is the De Tomaso Pantera (1971-1991). This car is in my opinion just as sexy as the Lamborghinis or Ferrari's of its time. Designed by American auto designer from Dutch origin, Tom Tjaarda, it featured a steel monocoque design and was powered by the new Ford 351- 4 bolt main Cleveland engine.
Later models, such as the GT5, had bonded and riveted wheel-arch extensions which created a distinctive wide-body look. The rear tires were considered beasts at the time, I believe second only to the Countach's.
a 1972 De Tomaso Pantera
The fact that the Pantera's sales lagged behind projections must have caused some kind of liquidity problems. This combined with poor manufacturing customs back then meant that the cars were poorly constructed. Rust-proofing was minimal on the early cars, while the quality of fit and finish was poor.
The late Paul Wederfoort imported a stunning red De Tomaso Pantera to be used for the 1985 Curaçao Grand Prix. Though details about the performance of the pace car were not kept, I do remember as a teenager always looking into the main showroom of the R.E. Yrausquin & Sons where the red Pantera was kept. I wonder where it is now.
At a point in time, our little Island of Curacao was ahead of the likes of Malaysia, Singapore, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi with regards to motor racing. This little rock in the southern Caribbean sea with a land area of just 444 square km and some 140.000 inhabitants had its very own Formula 3000 race through the streets of Willemstad.
In 1985, FIA introduced the Formula 3000 as the final preparatory step for drivers hoping to enter the F1 championship, and in its first year, through the efforts of local race promoter, the late Paul Wederfoort, Curacao got on the race calendar, even-though it was not a points paying race.
A local TV station made a report on the F 3000 race, which can be seen in the video below. Papiamento and Spanish are spoken throughout, and amongst others, Paul Wederfoort can be seen addressing the crowd wearing a blue sport coat.
During the last decade, developing countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi invested heavily into attracting Formula 1 races to their shores, so that they could not only show-case their country to the world, but also increase its allure as well as grow their tourism industry. It is in this context that I identify Paul Wederfoort as a true visionary, some 25 years ahead of the rest off the world.
To watch the actual race footage, please click here. Even though at first the footage is dark, it improves considerably after a while.
For numerous reasons, including heavy criticism due to narrow-mindedness, Curacao only had one Formula 3000 event. It's podium consisted of: 1. John Nielsen (Denmark), 2. Ivan Capelli (Italy), 3. Claudio Langes (Italy)
Oh, what could have been.
Source: Wikipedia, FIA
Video credit: Alex Alberto/YouTube.
