4 New Panoz Sports Cars

[IkeCan]

Does anyone know the details around the 4 new Panoz sports cars under development? If you go to www.panoz.com the site says they are working on 4 new sport car concepts.

[99panoz]

Interesting because http://panozauto.com is still peddling Esperante's and the all new 2011' Abruzzi.

I guess an even better question would be if they're going to be homologated to US standards? The Abruzzi was never intended for US roads because passing Uncle Sams testing is quite challenging and extremely expensive.

[Rarity]

Yup start gettin your piggy banks together

[99panoz]

Another thing that is quite concerning is whether Panoz even certifies these new cars. PADC always complained of the high costs associated with certifying their cars and now all of the sudden they're going to do (4) at one time?

As a potential future customer of one of these cars, I do hope that they will take the high road and fully certify the car to US standards and sell them domestically as I don't live in Europe or the Middle East and have ZERO interest in a "Kit Car".

As a current customer/owner of a Panoz automobile, I REALLY hope they don't go the "kit" route as this will surely knock the bottom out of the resell value of my "fully certified" Panoz car, diminish the brand's heritage substantially and negate all efforts ever exerted on the race track including their first place finish at Le Mans.

[ishigakisensei]

It`d be nice to have Panoz follow the Wesimann route in building cars, but if they don`t, then Panoz doesn`t have to go the "kit-car" route, but rather the specialty car route where you buy the car and the engine and the two are put together at a certified builder. There are ways around the asinine laws without busting the resell value. But, the Esperantes have hit the $20,000-$30,000 range for a long time now.

[PanozGTLM]

I am wondering why they would need to start a new company?

[99panoz]

I am wondering why they would need to start a new company?

Or, who's putting up the money behind it? After all of the sales activity within the Panoz organization over the last couple of years maybe the last thing sold was the brand name?

[dogdoc97]

I met "Bill" theeh new CFO I think he said...

I was up there this Spring and met a guy named Bill; Johan from JRD introduced us; said he was getting into biz with DON,NOT DAN, and they were going to build street cars again.... Dogdoc, Atlanta

[PanozGTLM]

I guess I am an optimist, if they do well with the new car(s) it would only give credibility to our cars by having a living breathing Panoz brand named
product on the road.

[2006GTLM]

It is odd that after signing up for the Panoz LLC email list, I have gotten nothing from them.

In answer to another posting, I am assuming that a new entity Panoz LLC was created because Don sold all the old Panoz businesses to Nascar last year. Also, they don't want any old claims coming their way.

While surfing around, I found that the mayor of Braselton, GA, the home of Panoz, is Bill Orr. On the town website, his bio lists him as the COO of Panoz LLC. Here is the link:

http://www.braselton.net/town.html

This is like a mystery novel unfolding slowly, very slowly.

[ishigakisensei]

This new Panoz would do well to study RUF in Germany to see how a small boutique company can exist for decades. I would have said Weismann, but they just filed for bankruptcy. I am curious as to why the rebirth of Panoz is absent from car blogs like WorldCarFans...actually all the big name blogs. Shouldn't this be important car news from a manufacturer who actually built road cars and not just CAD drawings or 1-2 prototypes at best?

[99panoz]

This new Panoz would do well to study RUF in Germany to see how a small boutique company can exist for decades. I would have said Weismann, but they just filed for bankruptcy. I am curious as to why the rebirth of Panoz is absent from car blogs like WorldCarFans...actually all the big name blogs. Shouldn't this be important car news from a manufacturer who actually built road cars and not just CAD drawings or 1-2 prototypes at best?

Well marketing and brand promotion has NEVER been one of Panoz' stronger attributes. Doesn't appear that it will be of the "new" Panoz either.
Teaser shots, updates on progress, media "leaks", etc. would be great for driving interest in any new business venture but for an auto manufacturing company, it is damn near required.

[dogdoc97]

that must be the Bill I met!

I could not recall his last name BUT he said he was a chief officer of some kind for the new company; believe he said he was in the oil type business/energy biz but I am not sure, Dogdoc

[Kgraves]

They will be new cars for sure, not kits. Abruzzi is not on the "now" list but some familiar looks will be forthcoming with some "new and improved" set ups. Could be a couple OMG changes too...

[dogdoc97]

ok here is some info...

I do NOT want to say who told me the following BUT I was just there last week;first they told me to wait till the 16th which has come and gone UNLESS it was the 16th of October; then I was told one of the cars would be at about 650HP! And finally I was told that by keeping the production numbers low they could get around the recertification of motor etc and that Don Panoz had a part in rewriting these regs??? Maybe he was a consultant to the EPA/NHTSA/ DOT etc> and btw, the 650 HP car could run about $150K, going after the ASTON MARTIN MARKET......all told to me ....BUT not sure what is rumor and what is true, so do not quote me as the GOSPEL PLEASE!...Dogdoc