Panoz in 2010

Panoz Rendering

Panoz Rendering

Panoz is by far one of my favorite car manufacturers, namely because of their contribution to motorsports – more over putting an American company into the list of great cars – but also because of their mission statement as a company. The whole point of Panoz is to build great, race ready, luxurious cars right here in America. It has been a while, though, since Panoz has come out with a new car. The Esperante, their only production car at the moment has gone essentially unchanged since it’s conception back in 2000.
A decade later, Panoz finally has come out with an updated design! Or at least a rendering of one. The new “Abruzzi” as Don Panoz calls it, will debute to the public at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this June. No details are known for now but except a front engine, rear wheel drive, and a Ford sourced engine. Despite the rumors of Panoz moving to Chevy LS motors, we believe that they will stick with Ford into the future.
As we here more, we’ll let you know!

The Grand Tourer

the Grand Tourer - Aston Martin DB9

the Grand Tourer - Aston Martin DB9

The concept of a grand touring car escapes most Americans these days, for what reason I’m not entirely sure. We have a mass of open roads and long highways that stretch from sea to shining sea, but we also have an abundance of cheap air fair to hop you from state to state. In Europe, they have airlines as well, though, they still have the tradition of grand touring cars. To go ahead and clarify for anyone who I might have already lost, a grand tourer is a special kind of car car derived from the Italian phrase grand turismo. These cars are designed to make long distance trips at high speeds and high comfort. A grand touring car is not necessarily a race car, though most manufacturers race them, it is made to eat the miles in great comfort without sacrificing power. A traditional grand tourer is front engine, rear wheel drive, either a two seater or a two-plus-two configuration, and has a luxurious interior. Continue reading