Descrizione
This series 2 Deauville, chassis number 02148, was imported by Emelia Concessionaires and first registered on 20th September 1983 making it one of the last of the 244 built, of which around 20 are thought to have been RHD. I have owned it since 5th March 2012 and it’s the third of three Deauvilles I have owned, along with a GT5 Pantera and a Longchamp GTSE.
The odometer reads in kilometres and had 61, 880 kms on it when bought. It has 69, 695 kms (around 43, 500 miles) on it now, so I’ve averaged around 1, 000 kms a year since recommissioning.
The car has had five previous owners. In the possession of one of these, it stood in a dry barn from the early nineties until 2010. When I bought it in 2012, the car was MOT’d and drove, but on inspection it had myriad faults and spent the next year or so at De Tomaso specialist Roger Brotton’s Three-point-four workshop in Barnsley. The work was extensive, including; going through the entire electrical system, re-building the engine including a crank-shaft re-grind, brakes refurbished, exhaust system renewed, fuel tanks refurbished, gearbox gone through, suspension, steering, cooling system and air-conditioning system repaired and refreshed, and the body cleaned and waxoyled.
All in all, a proper job with nothing left out, and with a brief to maintain originality wherever possible. I have full details of all the work – and of course, the bills! I currently chair the De Tomaso Drivers Club, and all the work carried during in my ownership was serialised in the Club’s magazine. I have the original guarantee and owner’s manual.
The car is MOT’d until 15th July 2020 and drives beautifully. The car is currently on a SORN and is in a car storage facility in Oxfordshire where it is kept in a cocoon on a battery conditioner and it is started regularly. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed owning and driving it, but life moves on and now it’s time for someone else to have the pleasure.
