1998 Panoz Other for sale $48,995
| 1998 Panoz Other $48,995 | |
| Car Ad from: Hemmings View Original Ad | |
| Price: | $48,995 |
| Contact: | View Original Ad from Hemmings |
| Location: | Lithia Springs, GA |
| Details: |
For those of you familiar with Don and Danny Panoz and the cars that bear their namesand#44; this is a very special machine. And for those of you who dont follow road racingand#44; cars like 1998 Panoz Roadster with a factory-optional supercharger were some of the fastest street-legal machines you could buyand#44; a modern reinterpretation of the Cobra with a decidedly road-racing bent. So if youre a racing fanand#44; a Ford fanand#44; a Road Atlanta fanand#44; or just a guy who likes lightweight cars with big horsepowerand#44; welland#44; this is the car for you. The mostly-aluminum Panoz AIV Roadster (which is its official name: AIV stands for aluminum-intensive vehicle) 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 windand#44; and with the front wheels out there on their own with the suspension exposedand#44; its ridiculously easy to plant the tires exactly where you want them to be in corners. A giant clamshell hood gives you good access to the mechanicalsand#44; and while there are a couple of small doorsand#44; youll probably find yourself just grabbing the roll bar and slinging yourself in. The handsome burgundy paint is in excellent shapeand#44; miles nicer than most competition-grade cars weve ever seen and it shows off the fact that this was a very expensive car when it was new. Low mileage doesnt hurtand#44; either! The minimalist front bumperand#44; cool rubber guards on the rounded rear fendersand#44; and a rear end thats an homage to the great British sports cars of the past all give it a look of speed and performance. And dont worryand#44; it totally delivers on the promises made by the radical bodywork. This car has just 14and#44;059 original milesand#44; which explains why the handsome tan leather bucket seat interior is in such great shape. Sure it has a few signs of ageand#44; as youd expect from any hand-built carand#44; but every single component is dedicated to helping you go faster. A flat-bottomed leather-wrapped steering wheel dances in your handsand#44; telegraphing everything you can see the front wheels doing right to your palms. The center-mounted gauge cluster will look familiar to Mustang Cobra ownersand#44; as that car donated a lot of hardware to the Panozand#44; and the bigand#44; round dials look better here than they did in the Ford. Burled walnutand#44; a leather shifterand#44; and aluminum surround give it an elemental hand-built look thats quite appealingand#44; and it even includes A/C and a great-sounding AM/FM/CD stereo. And yesand#44; the trunk is usefully sizedand#44; and includes a full set of Roush tools. Theres also a minimalist folding top in the Cobra spiritand#44; just in case of inclement weather. A Mustang Cobra donated its 4.6-liter DOCH V8 engine to the causeand#44; and the Kenne-Bell supercharger on top was a Panoz factory optionand#44; pushing horsepower over 400. In the flyweight Panozand#44; performance is shockingand#44; as youd imagine. 400+ pounds of torque in a car that barely weighs 2500 pounds makes for some surprised faces from other supercar owners. Its also bulletproof and easy to serviceand#44; and even more power is just a phone call away thanks to massive aftermarket support (although after a driveand#44; I doubt youll need or want it). A 5-speed manual gearbox and Ford-sourced rear end ensure reliabilityand#44; 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 Roush wheelsand#44; which carry 245/40/18 front and 285/35/18 rear Goodyear performance radials. With only a handful of these cars being builtand#44; this is a rare opportunity to own a great American performance car thats just as fast but a bit more sophisticated than your average Cobra. |