In 1973, a group of enthusiastic DeTomaso
Pantera and Mangusta owners began to meet regularly at Peyton Lincoln-Mercury
in Long Beach, California. From this founding group of enthusiastic classic
car owners, emerged the Pantera Owner's Club of America.
Over the ensuing 31 years, the POCA organization has expanded to include 19
nationwide Chapters and approximately 1,000+ loyal worldwide members. POCA
is a non-profit automobile club dedicated to supporting DeTomaso owners with
objective technical information and social benefits. POCA is officially recognized
by De Tomaso Modena, S.p.A.
Interests among DeTomaso owners are varied; they span from learning the fascinating
history of the marque, researching the famed biographies of those who comprise
our hall of fame and were instrumental in creating the automobiles' beautiful
designs, to an in-depth study of the best maintenance and restoration
practices of the day. Expertise and long-term experience is shared, and members
benefit from learning effective techniques for the purchase and preservation
of their DeTomaso automobiles.
The beauty of Pantera owners is their eclectic tastes and style. You will
find those who are advocates of retaining the car's purity and originality,
those with adventurous flair for design, and those who incorporate the most
contemporary technology into their vintage classics. All are appreciated and
comprisethe POCA family.
As a member, you will be the recipient of benefits offered by the National
Association, including the Club's membership in the Specialty Equipment Market
Association (SEMA), along with the proximity and congeniality of the localized
Chapter affiliations. POCA members thrive on activity and helping each other.
The Club and its local Chapters make a concerted effort to provide a wide
range of functions to satisfy the desires of all. Activities are plentiful
year round and Chapters partake in a myriad of events such as regular meetings,
presentations by guest speakers, holding of technical "hands-on"
sessions, varied social and family events, speed events, swap meets, rallies,
and stunning Concours d'Elegance shows. An annual International
Convention
is held every April in Las Vegas; Chapters also host annual events in other
regions such as Reno, Nevada, College Station, Texas, and the Pocono Mountains,
Pennsylvania.
For those with a passion for speed, POCA takes pride in our race enthusiasts
and our famed vintage race team, Team Pantera Racing. TPR continues a tradition
of being the only "vintage" team to regularly compete in the Silver
State Classic Challenge, the Nevada Open Road Challenge Races, the Bonneville
100, the annual Texas World Speedway event, the Pony Express and many other
sanctioned events year-long. Our racers have earned a reputation that humbles
many a competitor in any of the popular domestic or foreign race machines
of the day. There is no doubt, novice to seasoned racers have an overabundance
of fun!
Members of POCA are kept apprised of activities and the latest technical information
in the Club's two full size magazines: the richly pictorial and informative
quarterly, Profiles Magazine, and the monthly POCA Newsletter. For a sample
.pdf version of our newsletter, click here!
(NOTE this file is 2.7 Mb )
This site's links page will link you to several popular
chapter websites and forums as well. Membership is open to any De Tomaso owner
or aficionado. Annual dues include one member and a selected associate member:
US $75, Foreign $90. We graciously welcome one and all. To print out and mail
in a membership application, use the button at the top of this page (or the
link below). For additional information about POCA and membership, please
contact any of the Board members shown here.
Click here to download our official POCA brochure in pdf format!
Click here to
access the official POCA membership form!