VIN: the Ford Motor Company / Warren Tope De Tomaso Pantera Gr.4 chassis 2344
History of chassis 2344
Chassis THPNMB02344 was one of 14 Group 4 Panteras built, twelve of which were assembled in 1972.
2344 was completed on March 16th 1972 and painted two-tone Red and Black. It was immediately dispatched to De Tomaso Automobili’s parent company, the Ford Motor Company, in Dearborn, Michigan.
Ford used the car for assessment and promotional purposes; between November 4th and 12th of 1972 it was displayed at the New York Motor Show.
Soon afterwards, 2344, which was the only Group 4 Pantera originally exported to the USA, was sold to amateur racing driver, Warren Tope.
Tope was the son of a Ford executive and a moderately successful driver who had raced a Mustang in Trans-Am and SCCA events since 1970.
For 1973, chassis 2344 was repainted the same white, red and blue livery as Tope’s Mustang. At some stage, the original ZF gearbox was replaced with a Hewland item.
Tope entered the Pantera for four Trans-Am races in 1974. He failed to finish at Lime Rock (suspension) and Watkins Glen (accident) and then did not start at Sanair or Road America.
For 1974, Tope purchased a second-hand McLaren M8E (chassis 80-01) with which he won that year’s SCCA National Championship.
The Pantera appeared on just two occasions in 1974: Tope won the inaugural City of Pontiac road race but retired from the Trans-Am event at Road America with engine failure.
Over the close season, 2344 was heavily modified with a redesigned back end. However, Tope never got to race the car in its new configuration.
On July 5th 1975 he was fatally injured at the second City of Pontiac road race. A rear driveshaft failure on his McLaren severed the brake line and Tope ploughed into a guardrail.
Within a couple of weeks, the much-modified Pantera was sold to brothers Kenper and Paul Miller. The Millers paid $13,000 for the car and numerous spares. They subsequently failed to start the Watkins Glen 6 Hours a few days after purchase and then retired from the end-of-season Daytona 250 mile IMSA race.
Chassis 2344 was subsequently withdrawn from competition duty as the Millers moved up to a Porsche 934 for 1976.
In 1986, the Pantera was sold to Richard Conway in North Carolina and in 1989, to Alex Quattlebaum in South Carolina.
In 2003, Quattlebaum advertised the car (which was by now in very poor condition) for $62,500.
Notable History
Ford Motor Company, Detroit
Red & Black livery
04-12/11/1972 New York Motor Show
Sold to Warren Tope (Tope Racing Enterprises)
05/05/1973 TRA Lime Rock (W. Tope) DNF (#31) – suspension failure
16/06/1973 TRA Watkins Glen (W. Tope) DNF (#31) - accident
15/07/1973 TRA Sanair (W. Tope) DNS (#31??) - mechanical
28/07/1973 TRA Road America (W. Tope) DNS (#31)
06/07/1974 IND Pontiac Road Race (W. Tope) 1st oa (#31)
27/07/1974 TRA Road America (W. Tope) DNF (#31)
Modified nose and rear end
July 1975 sold to Kenper & Paul Miller, Pittsford, New York
12/07/1975 TRA Watkins Glen 6 Hours (K. Miller / P. Miller) DNS (#36)
30/11/1975 IMS Daytona 250 mile (K. Miller / P. Miller) DNF (#35)
1986 sold to Richhard Conway, North Carolina
1989 sold to Alex Quattlebaum III, South Carolina
2003 advertised in Hemmings Motor News by Quattlebaum for $62,000
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Ford - https://www.ford.com
