Panoz May Soon be Racing Again in IMSA GT

By Patrick Morgan - October 4, 2016

Panoz, a name we almost forgot about, is seeking to make a new car to race in IMSA’s GT4 category. The first prototype unveiled last week, called the Esperante Avezzano, has an aluminum frame, and power from the Corvette’s supercharged V8.

If the car looks familiar, you aren’t mistaken. It has been an evolution model for Panoz, with development history dating pack to 2000. “We actually raced that model shape a number of years ago, a fastback car, and we did that just to see and find out how that body shape worked” company head, Don Panoz, told Racer.

Th car was unveiled so recently, that Panoz have yet to actually do any track testing with it. As such, there’s no commitment to racing just yet, but IMSA’s (sometimes controversial) Balance of Performance rules could ensure they are competitive right away. GT racing in IMSA is for production-based cars, with factory backed teams such as Porsche, Chevrolet, Ford, and Ferrari, to name just a few. With the 2016 season wrapping up, Panoz has the opportunity to do some testing and evaluate if a 2017 campaign is worth a shot.