If you’re a sports car racing fan, you’ve probably looked at the incredible machines roating by you at tracks such as Road Atlanta or Sebring and thought it would be a dream come true to drive one of the those cars. Starting this month, Panoz LLC can make that dream come true, as the company begins producing road versions of the famous Panoz cars.
Surrounded by the cars that made the Panoz name famous at the world’s most celebrated circuits, racing media got a sneak peek at the new Panoz showroom and museum in Braselton, Ga., Wednesday night. Dominating the company’s 10,000-square-foot showroom and museum are reminders of the Panoz racing heritage – and now, clients can purchase street legal version of any of these amazing cars.
“We will be producing all these cars, on a one-off customer basis, for the street, ” explained John A. Leverett, Panoz LLC Vice President of Sales. “If you want a Panoz GTR-1 for the street, we will produce one for you. If you want a Panoz roadster, we’ll make one for you. Each car will have an all-new carbon/aluminum chassis, new powertrain, all new custom interior – but we won’t do full run production. Customers will get to choose enough on the car to make it uniquely theirs.
“To have a car with the Panoz racing heritage, with all the bodywork and substance that regulations will allow on the street, will be a very distinctive experience.”
In addition to the showroom and museum space is 20,000 square feet of production facility, housing all the components necessary to build each car in-house, including a paint shop, welding area and space for aftermarket tuning and restoration.
The driving force behind the project is Dr. Don Panoz, Managing Partner of DeltaWing Racing Cars, founder of the American Le Mans Series and owner of the nearby Chateau Elan Winery and resort. Panoz looks forward to re-introducing the Panoz road car experience to clients looking for an incomparable motoring experience.
“It’s a privilege to reintroduce the Panoz cars,” said Panoz. “I think everyone will be surprised and interested when they come to see the museum, which we have dedicated to the history of Panoz cars. We look forward to working with those clients who want their personal vehicle – one that they actually build themselves – to be a Panoz.”
Just as important to the Panoz family is the charitable aspect of the operation. The museum is available for local functions, with all proceeds from the facility rental to be donated to charity (Chestnut Mountain Ranch and Eagle Ranch for boys, and the Braselton library. “It’s a good community service,” said Panoz. “Local car clubs, civic or school organizations can use the facility for their functions and all the proceeds will go to these organizations.”
Panoz Cars on display inthe Panoz showroom:
- 1997 European-homologated GTR-1
- 2002 Limited edition Esperante Brabham coupe (designed by David Brabham in his helmet color)
- 2003 GTLM coupe that was custom built for Don Panoz
- 2006 Le Mans-winning Panoz GTLM GT2 car from Team LNT
- 2010 European-homologated Abruzzi Spirit of Le Mans street car
Panoz Cars on display in the Panoz museum:
- 1997 Panoz GTR-1, Le Mans and also in 2004 with Patrick Bourdais
- 1998 Esperante GTR-1 Hybrid, nicknamed “Sparky”
- 2000 Panoz LMP, Adelaide Race of 1000 years, won at Nurburgring
- 2002 Panoz Trans Am championship car – seven wins, with a podium finish in every race
- 2010 Panoz Abruzzi GT2 racecar
