For over 25 years, Gwinnett County has been home to one of the most exclusive auto manufacturers in the country. Located on Highway 124, in the Braselton-Hoschton area, Panoz has produced unique road cars, and an assortment of championship-winning race cars.
Recently, Panoz opened a showroom and museum (adjacent to the production facilities) as it readies a new line of luxurious sports cars. In honor of its 25 year anniversary, the first of the new Panoz vehicles to hit the streets will be the Esperante Spyder and Spyder GT. As soon as you slip into the driver’s seat of a 2 you immediately know you’re in for a truly unique driving experience. Everything from the race-car inspired leather seats to the D-shaped leather and carbon fiber steering wheel, to the billet aluminum pedals says performance. Start the engine and there’s no doubt that the Spyders’ performance is accompanied by an abundant amount of power.
And there’s considerably more to the Spyder driving experience. With the introduction of the 25th anniversary Esperante Spyder and Spyder GT, Panoz has elevated automotive exclusivity to an unprecedented level. Production of both models will be limited, and each vehicle will be custom configured by the individual buyer. Consequently, every 25th anniversary Spyder and Spyder GT literally will be a one-of-a-kind automobile.
Maintaining Panoz's tradition of employing advanced materials and state-of-the-art design and production techniques, the new 25th anniversary Spyder and Spyder GT incorporate an extruded aluminum chassis integrated with a pressed steel center section, carbon fiber superstructures and integrated twin roll hoops. Bodies for the Spyder are manufactured of SPF aerospace-quality aluminum while Spyder GT bodies are a combination of SPF aluminum and carbon fiber.
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Spyder and Spyder GT powertrains assure an outstanding combination of performance and efficiency. The standard engine for the Spyder is a Panoz/Élan Power Products 32-valve, aluminum block 305-cubic inch (5-liter) V8 rated at 430-horsepower. It may be coupled to either a close-ratio Tremec T56 Magnum 6-speed manual transmission or optional 6-speed automatic. For spirited driving, the automatic may be manually shifted through the steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.
Optionally available is a Panoz/Élan Power Products supercharged 6.2L- aluminum block V8 with 556hp which also serves as the base engine in the Spyder GT. Also available is an 800-horsepower Spyder GT-specific engine. Either engine may be mated to a manual 6-speed or paddle-shift enabled 6-speed automatic transmission. And for customers with unique ideas and specific preferences, Panoz offers a variety of buyer-specified powertrains.
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According to John Leverett, VP of Sales & Marketing, “With the Spyder and Spyder GT we’ve established a new benchmark of exclusivity for exotic GT-type vehicles. Both cars will be produced in very limited numbers and Serial Number 001 will be painted the same red as the Nurburgring-winning Panoz race car, making it a truly one-of-a-kind vehicle. With the wide array of customer-specified options, every Spyder and Spyder GT will be a unique reflection of the owner’s personality.”
The Spyder and Spyder GT will soon be on display at the new Panoz showroom. In the mean time, you just might want to stop by, see what's new and view the cars in the museum. It's like a little bit of Detroit right here in Gwinnett County.