Panoz Esperante GTLM

[HarleyEarl]

2005 Panoz Esperante GTLM

Esperante Extremus: The new GTLM addresses all your Panoz power needs

By MARK VAUGHN

AutoWeek | Published 01/27/06, 7:25 pm et

AT A GLANCE:

2005 PANOZ ESPERANTE GTLM

ON SALE: Now

BASE PRICE: $89,000

POWERTRAIN: 4.6-liter, 420-hp, 420-lb-ft V8; rwd,six-speed manual

CURB WEIGHT: 3461 lbs.

0 to 62 MPH: 4.2 seconds (mfr.)

One of the many advantages of buying from a small car manufacturer is that you get to spend quality time with the company principals. Imagine cruising Dearborn in a Model T with Henry Ford. Such was the sensation (on a smaller scale and at a much higher speed) when we spent an afternoon zipping through the Holly-wood Hills with Dan Panoz in his Esperante GTLM.

The GTLM is two models above the base Esperante, introduced in 2000, and one above the GT. The GT gets much of the extra bodywork you see here and the GTLM gets that plus more power.

“The Esperante is the perfect car for some people,” Panoz said. “The GT carries all the bodywork for those that want the schmootz; and the GTLM comes with the blower.”

Ah yes, the blower. It is a big one. The Eaton supercharger sits on top of the 4.6-liter SVT V8, whipping huge volumes of air into the combustion chambers and whining only barely as it does so. It adds 100-plus horsepower to the Ford’s peak output, bumping it from 300 hp at 5750 rpm to 420 at 6000. Torque is 420 lb-ft at 3500 revs. When you step on the gas you notice power and torque almost from the bottom of the tachometer—power and torque aplenty. It makes driving fun. The blower is the single biggest and baddest thing on this car (though there are a lot of well-engineered parts), and it almost nullifies GTLM’s 3461-pound curb weight.

“It’s a 30 percent net gain in torque from the git-go,” according to Panoz. “Ya gotta love that.”

The limited-slip differential delivers that power to the ground, too, no sliding around on the P255/45ZR-18s. It doesn’t behave like a muscle car that is all engine and nothing else. It drives the way a tight, taut grand touring car should drive. The GTLM gets a whole new rear end, too, including a suspension and chassis module that was not on the base Esperante. It’s part of Dan Panoz’s philosophy of continuous improvement.

All that combined makes it sports-car smooth and unfettered by the bumps and wallops of Mulholland Drive, a road that seems to be falling apart and patched together more than many of the fading stars who live along it.

It does take a little getting used to, to aim that long, long hood through corners that seem a bit narrower in this basketball player of a roadster. It’s not like a mid- or rear-engine sports car that has you riding up on the bow. In this one you’re sitting well aft.

Regardless, the GTLM always goes where it’s aimed, reminding you that Panoz is a company that has won major sports car races, often by huge margins.

The only technical thing we’d change is to make the steering quicker. It’s the same power rack-and-pinion 15:1 setup from the old AIV Roadster of a few years ago, Dan Panoz says. But somehow the ratio feels slower, perhaps exaggerated in tighter corners by that long hood. Or maybe it was just slower than the more modern steering racks we’ve driven lately.

The interior lacks nothing for comfort or ergonomics. Convertible top up or down, you will be comfortable when you cruise.

The only thing we’d change is the exterior, and even that is open to debate among staff. Many like it as is. Others say to turn a clean sheet of paper over to Pininfarina or someone and have them build a modern Maserati Ghibli, Jag XKE or Ferrari Daytona body to rest on this fine chassis. In this end of the market, design is often paramount; buyers want that hey-look-at-me appeal. The looks of the Esperante could explain why, almost five years after its introduction, there have been fewer than 200 sold. With a sticker price of $121,326 for a GTLM or $89,000 for a base model, buyers can go up 30 grand and buy a Ford GT or even a used 360. Or go way down and buy a Z06 or a Viper.

But with only 200 in the world, the Panoz stands out. And you get to hang with Danny.

[Imaj]

Panoz are nice cars, they just need to look good.

BTW, isn't Panoz an American Car Maker?

Edited January 29, 2006 by Imaj

[Snate]

Panoz is an american company based out of Georgia I believe B)

[Cadillacfan]

Isn't the guy who started the company from Ireland? Anyway..

I love the Esperante. Sure, it's starting to look a little long in the tooth, but it's still a classic nonetheless. I would love to own one.

[RJB]

I would not pay $90,000 for car that looks like a morphed Miata.

[Enzora]

I would not pay $90,000 for car that looks like a morphed Miata.

Meh, looks are subjective, and since the Miata is pretty much designed to be a purist's sports car, I could think of a lot worse design themes for an exotic to resemble.

If you really want something to bitch about in a 90,000 dollar car, make it the cheap Ford switchgear. The Esperante is chock full of Ford goodies to keep production costs down.

[HarleyEarl]

I'm so glad that there are people like Panoz. I celebrate his type. I hope there will always be guys like him to start little car companies in America. Makes it so much more interesting.