The first example of the road-legal Panoz Esperante GTR-1 will be displayed at the Dubai Motor Show after an extensive six-month-long restoration by Panoz technicians.
As far as homologation specials go, nothing can beat the raw attitude of some road-legal Le Mans racers, like the Panoz GTR-1 Esperante. Panoz built just two of these beasts with number plates in order to meet the requirements set for competing in the 1997 24 Hours of Le Mans and other endurance racing events with the car here to be the only one remaining.
To get a taste of how crazy this Esperante GTR-1 Homologation Special really is, just look at the specs: a front-mounted 6.0-litre Ford-based V8 with 600-plus horsepower and 500lb ft of torque, mated to a ZF manual six-speed manual gearbox having to carry just 898kg (1,980 lbs). Brakes are Brembo items, with eight-piston, four-pad calipers up front and four-piston, four-pad calipers at the rear.
Panoz also announced that they could build a brand new road-legal Esperante GTR-1 if customers want them to, using the original body and tub molds, creating either a near-exact carbon-fiber replica or a modified version using alternate composites and other lightweight solutions.
The starting price is set at $890,000 and that’s before considering the customization options which Panoz offers through their “Extreme Personalization” program that lets customers create the exact car of their dreams.
The original Panoz Esperante GTR-1 will be displayed at this year’s Dubai International Motor Show.
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