Panoz Comparo

The Panoz Esperante is one of the few all-American sports cars on the market. From its aluminum chassis to the Ford Cobra 4.6-liter V-8 engine, it's all built in Hoschton, Georgia by a group of car fanatics who have made quite an impact on the racing world as well. Their front-engined prototypes were campaigned with moderate success until this year, when Panoz switched racing efforts to GT-class versions of the Esperante sports car.

Practical Sports Car
The Esperante is the second street sports car built by Panoz Development. The first, the A.I.V. roadster, was introduced in 1989. This cycle-fendered roadster featured equal parts hot rod and Lotus 7 inspiration. The initials in the name stood for Aluminum Intensive Vehicle, reflecting the large amount of this lightweight metal in its construction. While the A.I.V. was an intriguing novelty, the Esperante is a far more serious effort at a practical sports car.


Gone are the articulating cycle fenders, replaced by a full-width pressure-formed aluminum body with handsome lines and a luxurious leather interior. The Esperante looks great from most angles, but in a refined sense instead of a "boy racer" look. Still, the nose could use a bit more aggressive styling.


The windshield is borrowed from the Ford Mustang, reflecting the help given to the small company by Dearborn. Also from the FoMoCo parts bin are the standard 320-horsepower twincam 4-valve engine and five-speed gearbox. The independent rear suspension uses horizontally-mounted coil-over shocks attached with bellcranks and pushrods.


The Esperante made its debut in 2000 and little has been changed in the interval. In 2002, though, Panoz announced a series of Esperante Driver Edition models with modifications suggested by the company's team racing drivers, Jan Magnussen and David Brabham.