This next entry in the Unknown Supercars series is the Panoz Abruzzi, an exquisite creation from a manufacturer with an extensive racing history. Readers that are familiar with GT4 America class racing may have heard about the Panoz racing team. It is a reasonably successful team that is still winning races to this day. With its incredible products and impressive racing pedigree, the Panoz brand embodies the true definition of the American Dream.
About Panoz
The brand was established back in 1989 by Dan Panoz in Georgia. In 1988, Dan used to work for the Thompson Motor Company, which was later liquidated, allowing him to buy rights to a TMC chassis. He would set up the Panoz Auto Development Company a year later.
The brand’s first car was launched just over two years after its establishment; the 1992 Panoz Roadster. Being the forward-thinking company that it is, Panoz didn’t wait long, launching the AIV roadster in 1995, America’s first all-aluminum intensive production vehicle.
In 1997, Dan’s father, Don Panoz, decided to enter motorsports to help his son’s company sell more cars. For those who have not heard of the legendary Don Panoz, he was a multi-talented entrepreneur, businessman, and inventor. He is known for inventing the technology used in the nicotine patch and for saving American domestic motorsports.
The road-car division unveiled the Esperante sports car in 2000. The Panoz Esperante was a toned-down version of its racer sibling. The brand aimed for the road-going version of the Esperante to be as similar as possible to the GTR-1 racecar. Over the years, several variants of the Esperante followed before the release of the Abruzzi.
The name Abruzzi is inspired by the name of an Italian village called Abruzzo, where Don’s grandfather originated from before having to move to America because of a devastating earthquake in 1915.
Panoz Racing History
After entering the world of motor racing, Don Panoz established the Panoz Motor Sport Group in 1997. The entity developed cars to compete in various motorsport events in America and throughout the world and promote the road car business by winning races and making a reputable brand image among the masses.
The Group’s first proper racecar was the Esperante GTR-1. Don’s out of the box thinking and visionary mindset led to the Esperante being a front-engined racer when everyone else went with a rear-engine setup. He was so forward-thinking that he even experimented with the Esperante GTR-1 by adding an electric motor to aid the combustion engine, making it the first modern hybrid racecar.
The Esperante GTR-1 competed in several events, such as the US Road Racing Championship and the International Motor Sports Association. In both races, the GTR competed in the GT class and won the IMSA constructors and teams championship in 1988.
Later in the 90s, Don noticed that the American motorsports industry was rapidly disintegrating. He saw an opportunity to revive the sector and founded the American Le Mans Series and Women’s GT Open Series.
Panoz Racing Team
The start of the new decade brought more success for the Panoz Racing teams. That included victories in open-wheel racing and Indy Racing League until 2005, then came 2006, the most significant year in Panoz’s history. 2006 saw the Panoz racing division bag two major motorsport wins. The first came when the Esperante GTLM piloted by David Brabham, Scott Maxwell, and Sebastien Bourdais won the 12 Hours of Sebring. The next and the most important win came later that year when Team LNT won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the GT2 class.
The year 2006 marked the period of peak success for the brand. Since then, the Group has participated in a few domestic races here and there with scant success.
Under the Skin
Under that aggressive and sharp-edged exterior, the Panoz Abruzzi packs nothing short of a monster. The Abruzzi supercar features an LS3 supercharged 6.2L V8 engine churning out 649 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, allowing for a 0-60 mph time around 3 seconds. And interestingly, all that power is sent to the rear wheels using a 6-speed transaxle manual transmission.
Several radiators cool the front-mounted fire-breathing engine, but here’s the weird bit. The main radiator is installed at the rear of the vehicle. We suspect that is what allows the Abruzzi to have such a down-flowing front fascia design. The rear-mounted radiator was part of Panoz’s new “Trifectacooling” technology utilizing stage two and stage three systems placed before and after the main radiator unit. These systems were also known as auxiliary radiators and were used to reduce the coolant temperature entering and exiting the main radiator. This new technology aims to keep the coolant at an optimal temperature, even during prolonged and hard use.
Styling Features
The Panoz Abruzzi is probably one of the most polarizing car designs out there, but we fail to understand what’s not to like about the grand touring supercar. The car features an all-around aggressive design language, as made evident by the sharp edges all-around. The Abruzzi’s front splitter looks like it could seriously injure a pedestrian, and the massive four-part grille would finish the job by swallowing it whole.
Jokes apart, the Abruzzi does look like it belongs in the underground garage of a scientist-turned-evil supervillain straight out of a superhero movie. If not that, it would even make a great batmobile. Who needs robin when you have a matte black Panoz Abruzzi?
Design
The vehicle’s front fascia features a unique swooping design that is possible due to the absence of a front-mounted radiator. The front grille is divided by four confrontational horizontal slats joining the splitter on either side. The headlamps are long and quite thin, but there is enough space for a couple of light bulbs, even though LED strips would have been the smarter choice here. And surprisingly, they are located on the fender of the vehicle.
The aggressive styling continues onto the hood of the Abruzzi that features various symmetrically-placed shark-fin aero bits. In addition to looking good, these fins also improve the heat-dissipation characteristics of the V8 engine. Unfortunately, those fins were featured on the car’s early prototypes but never made it onto the production version. The final design had much more subtle winglets on the hood instead.
The story at the rear is very similar to that of the front fascia. The rear-end features a curved design and fender-mounted taillights too. The fender’s design that starts from just behind the door curves before finishing in the rear bumper is another reason we see Batman owning this exquisite car.
Innovative tech
For the body of its supercar, Panoz has developed a completely new technology known as “REAMS,” a direct result of the environmentalist mindset of the company’s founder. The Recyclable Energy Absorbing Matrix System is claimed to have several benefits. In addition to the environmental benefits (being recyclable), REAMS is a multi-layer composite structure that is lighter than carbon fiber, resistant to dents and shatter-proof.
Perks
The Abruzzi was planned to be a strictly limited-run supercar. Just 81 units would be made, one for each Le Mans race held since the sport’s inception back in 1926 and until 2013, the year when the last Abruzzi was scheduled to be produced. Moreover, each car pays tribute to a specific race, and the date of the said race and the winning driver’s initials are etched on a special plaque.
Panoz had promised a one-of-a-kind lifestyle experience to each buyer of the Abruzzi. For instance, after the manufacturing process is complete, every unit would be shipped from the Panoz factory, directly to the famous Circuit de la Sarthe, in France.
Included in the £330,000 price tag is an immersive experience at the circuit for each buyer. Panoz will arrange a team of professional driving instructors to teach customers how to get the best from their cars while on a track. Service and repairs will also be taken care of by Panoz. All the customers have to do is enjoy their brand new supercars on the historic Bugatti circuit at Le Mans.
Next-level invitation
Moreover, each owner will also be invited to the 24 Hours of Le Mans race series as guests of ACO and Panoz in the same year of their Abruzzi purchase. That trip would include a parade lap of the 8.3-mile Circuit de La Sarthe and a “Spirit of Le Mans” reception event with various famous personalities from the world of motor racing.
Panoz’s obsession with Le Mans was so high that the Abruzzi was launched at the Circuit de La Sarthe. The iconic racetrack was home to the 24 hours of Le Mans in 2010, a few days before the race series was set to commence. But wait, there’s more. The supercar was introduced as Panoz Abruzzi “Spirit of Le Mans.” The car was unveiled by company founder Don Panoz, who said while speaking at the event, “This is the culmination of equal parts time, effort, and dreams. The Panoz brand always has prided itself on hand-building and delivering an exotic automobile and experience to our customers. Our new offering takes this to a completely new level.”
Last Words
Panoz had big plans for the Abruzzi, but there is no record of them ever seeing the light of day. The supercar was destined to be hand-built at Panoz’s facility in Braselton, Georgia, from 2011 to 2013. However, even by 2014, the production numbers could not be confirmed, and rather mysteriously, the car did not even appear on the company’s website then. Unconfirmed sources claim Panoz failed to sell enough units to even break even after development costs. If true, that is a shame as we would have liked to see the supercar ripping through racetracks even today. Those who want to catch a glimpse of the magnificent beast can visit its new residence, the Panoz museum in Georgia.
