Panoz Unveils The Spectacular Avezzano
In an elegant event to celebrate 20 years of Panoz racing, the Avezzano was publicly shown for the first time.
When Panoz built its first car, the roadster, no one could have imagined where it would lead. Wednesday night Dr. Panoz pulled the cover off his newest creation. The Panoz Avezzano is a vision of the future for Panoz.
Rich in racing history, Panoz started the American LeMans Series racing versions of his street cars. The Esperante GT1 is a visually striking example of the brilliance of Panoz. The companies evolution led it to develop the Esperante GTS and its street variants.
Wednesday night we got to see what could one of the most elegant sports cars I have ever seen. The Panoz Avezzano is the first true fastback for the car builder. What a job they have done. The lines are striking from every angle.
While retaining the streamlined front end of the Esperante Spyder, the back of the car has hints from several designs. The sloping rear window is reminiscent of early corvettes. While the end of the deck lid has a hint of Aston Martin in its arch. The rear splitter harkens to the modern europian supercars.
One of my favorite parts of the Panoz Avezzano is the carbon fiber side skirts that lead to the dual side exit stainless steel exhaust. The prototype on display is painted a deep blue that made the carbon fiber touches subtle, but the stainless steel striking. The attention to detail in relationship to form and function was remarkable.
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The Avezzano prototype shown was fitted with a supercharged Chevrolet LSA motor used in the corvette. There will be three engine options available for customers to pick when purchasing their car. A six-speed manual, 4-speed automatic are confirmed as transmission options. Engineers at Panoz hope to have a paddle shift option available by the time the first customer models are delivered.
When looking at the car in the Panoz museum with all the other examples of Panoz racing cars you could not help but visualize the Avezzano on the track. Several members of the Panoz Delta Wing racing team were on hand for the event. I overheard several talking about how they thought it would make a fantastic race car.
The Avezzano is an example of the brilliance of Panoz vision. When you talk to Dr. Panoz about it, he boasts that you can get two sets of golf clubs in the trunk. He is not about building a car that is just at home on the track, it is meant to drive every day. For Panoz function is not sacrificed for performance, it all goes hand in hand.
It is hard not to see a hint of the 1964 Shelby Daytona when looking at the profile of the Avezzano. A glimpse into the interior shoots you into the future . The fully programmable display allows you to design any layout you can imagine. There is a combination of elegant design and visual brutalityin the Avezzano.
At a projected cost of between $154,000 and $240,000 depending on options, the Avezzano is not just for the super rich. The options available are really only limited by your imagination as the car is built for you.
Dr. Don Panoz is cementing his legacy as the premier American luxury sports car manufacturer. With his commitment to racing, if the Avezzano ever hits the track, a new generation of Panoz fans will be born. Panoz is the Carroll Shelby of our time, and he continues to innovate with new designs that stimulate our imagination.