Panoz Esperante

The Esperante is a sports car made by Panoz, an American car manufacturer.

There are several models of the Esperante: the base model, the GT, the GTLM, the GTS, and the JRD (an aftermarket upgrade brand similar to Roush Mustangs). Additionally, Panoz is more than willing to work with the buyer to make special modifications to any of the stock models. Each model has slightly different statistics. The Specs below are for the base model. The GTLM, for example, uses a supercharger to boost power from convert|305|hp|abbr=on to convert|420|hp|abbr=on, raising performance from 0-62 mph in 5 seconds to 4 seconds. The GTS on the other hand is built as a driver's class spec car, to SCCA standards, with harness, roll cage, side bars, etc. Additionally, it is ~ convert|600|lb|abbr=on lighter than the base Esperante, has a steel 5.8 liter V8 racing engine that produces convert|385|bhp|kW PS|0|abbr=on, and is made of easily replaceable panels to facilitate small impact race repair. It can do 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds, go up to a top speed of 182 mph, and achieve 0.98 g of lateral grip.

Panoz's engines are sourced from The Ford Motor Companies family of Mod Motor V8s.

Racing

2006 was a year of noticeable achievement for Panoz.

The #50 Multimatic Motorsports Team Panoz Esperante GT-LM took a first place podium finish at the 55th Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring beating GT2 regulars BMW, Porsche, Ferrari, and Spyker

That June the #81 Panoz Esperante GT-LM campaigned by England based Team LNT [http://www.teamlnt.com] managed to outlast and overtake the remaining LMGT2 contenders in the final hour of the 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans.

During the 2007 American Le Mans season the Panoz Esperante will be managed, stateside, by Tom Milner and Team PTG. They will be campaigning two GT-LMs (#20 and #21)

In Europe, Team LNT will be campaigning two Esperantes also. They will be competing in the British GT Championship and Le Mans Endurance Series. Team LNT will be returning to the 24 Hours of LeMans in 2007 with both the #81 and #82 cars. [http://teamlnt.com/2007/News/LeMans07/LeMans07.html]

Technical

Body and chassis

*Layout: Front/mid-engine, rear wheel drive, luxury sport convertible
*Body: Hand assembled lightweight SPF aluminum.
*Chassis: Modular extruded aluminium, bolted and bonded to steel subframes

Engine/Drivetrain

*Engine: Hand assembled DOHC, 32-valve, 90-degree, aluminum V8
*Displacement: 4,995 cm³
*Power: 500 hp (373 kW) @ 6,000 rpm
*Torque: 450 ft·lbf (610 N·m)
*Compression Ratio: 9.8:1
*Bore by stroke: 3.55 by 3.54 in (90.2 by 90.0 mm)
*Fuel: ethanol E10/E85
*Fuel injection: Sequential electronic
*Ignition: Distributorless, coil-on-plug
*Transmission: Tremec T45 5-speed manual
*Gear Ratios: 1st: 3.37:1 2nd: 1.99:1 3rd: 1.33:1 4th: 1.00:1 5th: 0.67:1 :Rev: 3.22:1 Final: 3.27:1
*Differential: Limited-slip type, 8.8 inch (224 mm) ring gear, aluminum case
*Weight: convert|1200|kg|lb|abbr=on

=Suspension=

*Front: Fully independent short-long arm (SLA) double wishbone configuration with gas charged Eibach coil-over shock absorbers and anti-roll bar
*Rear: Fully independent, double wishbone with horizontally opposed, pushrod-and-rocker activated Penske gas charged coil-over shock absorbers and anti-roll bar.
*Wheels: Aluminum BBS, 17 by 9 inches (430 by 230 mm)
*Tires: Pirelli P255/45ZR17

Brakes

*Manufacturer: Performance Friction Brakes
*Type: Four-wheel power assisted disc
*ABS: Electronic three channel, four sensor
*Front: Dual-piston caliper with high-pressure steel braided brake lines and 13 inch (330 mm) vented steel rotor
*Rear: Single-piston caliper with 11.7 inch (297 mm) vented steel rotor

Steering

*Type Power assisted rack and pinion
*Turns lock-to-lock: 2.5
*Ratio: 15:1

Dimensions and capacities

*Seating Capacity: 2
*Wheelbase: 106.0 in (2.713 mm)
*Track: "front" 60.9 in (1.55 m), "rear" 63.2 in (1.58 m)
*Overall Length: 176.3 in (4.478 m)
*Overall Width: 73.2 in (1.859 mm)
*Overall Height: 53.4 in (1,355.9 m)
*Ride Height: 5.0 in (127 mm)
*Curb Weight: 3200 lb (1,450 kg)
*Fuel Capacity: 15.7 U.S. gal (59.4 L)

External links

* [http://www.panozauto.com/ Panoz Auto Development Company]
* [http://www.ptgracing.com Team PTG Panoz]
* [http://www.teamlnt.com Team LNT]