1993 Panoz Roadster

Description

For those of you familiar with Don and Danny Panoz and the cars that bear their names, this is a very special machine. And for those of you who don't follow road racing, cars like 1993 Panoz Roadster were some of the fastest street-legal machines you could buy, a modern reinterpretation of the Cobra with a decidedly road-racing bent. In fact, this car is the very first production Panoz Roadster of 1993 and was custom built for a high-end collector that never took possession, leaving it instead at the factory for show. So if you're a racing fan, a Ford fan, a Road Atlanta fan, or just a guy who likes lightweight cars with big horsepower, well, this is the car for you.

The mostly-aluminum Panoz Roadster (which is its official name) is a featherweight machine designed to have only the bare minimums required for comfortable road use; think Lotus 7 built by Carroll Shelby. The sleek shape is designed to cheat the wind, and with the front wheels out there on their own with the suspension exposed, it's ridiculously easy to plant the tires exactly where you want them to be. A giant clamshell hood gives you good access to the mechanicals, and while there are a couple of small doors, you'll probably find yourself just grabbing the roll bar and slinging yourself in. The bright yellow paint is in very good shape, miles nicer than most competition-grade cars we've ever seen, and you'll never think twice about getting in and hitting the road. The minimalist front bumper, cool rubber guards on the rounded rear fenders, and a rear end that's an homage to the great British sports cars of the past all give it a look of speed and performance. And don't worry, it totally delivers on the promises made by the radical bodywork.

This car spent a lot of years in the Panoz museum, which explains why the handsome bucket seat interior is in such great shape. A leather-wrapped steering wheel dances in your hands, telegraphing everything you can see the front wheels doing right to your palms. The center-mounted gauge cluster will look familiar to Mustang 5.0 owners, as that car donated a lot of hardware to the Panoz, and the big, round dials look better here than they did in the Ford. A billet shifter and surround give it an elemental hand-built look that's quite appealing, and aside from the basic controls, there are no frills, not even a radio. And yes, the trunk is usefully sized, although there is no top.

A Mustang donated its 5.0-liter V8 engine to the cause, and in the flyweight Panoz, performance is shocking. 300 pounds of torque in a car that barely weighs 2500 pounds makes for some surprised faces from other supercar owners. It's also bulletproof and easy to service, and more power is just a phone call away thanks to massive aftermarket support. A T5 5-speed manual gearbox and Ford-sourced rear end ensure reliability, too. A custom dual exhaust sounds spectacular and the space-frame chassis is stout enough to put on the track without further enhancements. Powerful disc brakes hide behind custom Panoz wheels, which carry 205/55/16 front and 255/50/16 rear BFGoodrich tires.

With only 47 of these cars ever being built, and this one is serial number P93001, this is a rare opportunity to own a great American performance car. If you like history, this one has a ton to share. Call today!