Driving The GT World's Best-Kept Secret
April 2, 2003
In a distant and romantic past, the production of racing cars and road cars went hand in hand. Race victories brought the recognition necessary to sell road cars and make money, so that the manufacturers could pursue the fickle mistress of competition. Jaguar, Aston Martin, Maserati, Ferrari, Porsche, and Lotus all sold race-inspired road cars that were, of course, desirable but of secondary importance to their next Le Mans or GP effort.
Danny Panoz, president of Panoz Auto Development, had just learned to write his name at about the time he saw his first Jaguar XKE, and he immediately fell under its spell. “I couldn’t help myself, I had to touch it,” he explains, and he wrote his name in the dust on the nose of the car. It was at that moment that he knew his purpose in life.
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Fine leather, carbon fiber, and aluminum make for comfortable work. (Click image to enlarge)In 1989, Panoz began hand-building a minimalist V-8-powered roadster, which some might even call “cute.” In 1997, he revised the design with an innovative aluminum space frame chassis, called the AIV (Aluminum Intensive Vehicle) Roadster. Fast, responsive, nimble, and visceral, it possessed a quality of fit, finish, and advanced engineering unknown to this genre of sporting lightweight road cars.
Acknowledging that his small roadster had limited appeal, Panoz introduced the Esperante in 1999. A traditional grand touring car, it was reminiscent of the Ferrari California and Mercedes 300 SL of the 1960s. In true GT tradition, the Esperante is a powerful and competent road car that offers a high level of refinement and craftsmanship. Imagine the quiet comfort and security of a Mercedes SL, with the quick synapses and aggressive nature of an early 911.
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