Exotic Panoz roadster crops up on sale

One out of 176 Panoz AIV sports cars made in the 1990s will go on Auction on April 6. It is a 1997 year model and cost no less than $65,000 when new, but the current estimate is unknown.

Motorsports fan Dan Panoz founded Panoz Auto Development in the USA in 1989. The company specialized in building racecars for various national competitions. It also made street-legal cars with the philosophy similar to that of Lexus: lightweight chassis, moderate engine power and surgically precise handling.

When it premiered, the AIV model was considered cutting-edge by the U.S. standards of the time thanks to the abundant use of aluminum both in the bodywork and the chassis. The whole car weighed barely more than a metric ton (2,200 lbs).

With smooth body outlines and exposed components, many have compared the appearance of the Panoz AIV with that of traditional hot rods. The engine follows in the same vein: it’s a 4.6-liter V8 borrowed from the Mustang SVT Cobra lineup to send around 300 horsepower (224 kilowatts) to the wheels. Unlike its Mustang donor that needs 5.8 seconds for a sprint from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph), the roadster manages it in 4.3 seconds.

The production of the car took place from 1996 until 1999. Only a small quantity was made due to design challenges. The example seen here, with a black body and beige leather cabin, was among the first ones. The seller says nothing particular about its background.