Panoz Debuts the 2017 Avezzano

Yes, Panoz is still making cars

Jeff Knoespel

It’s getting more and more difficult these days to get an authentic, basic sports car experience. The nanny state continuously make more regulation, and the public demands a cushion of luxury and technology. The Dodge Viper and TVR are dead (at least for the time being). But there is still one small automaker determined to bring us that wonderful experience.

Panoz, the plucky little American maker of “America’s most exclusive sports car” (due solely to budget, probably) announced a new model this week, the Panoz Avezzano, which will launch in 2017. Prototype No. 1 debuted at Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.

The Avezzano is based on a successful Panoz GT-class endurance race car that features a aluminum body similar to the Panoz AIV Roadster and the Esperante. Underneath will be a new generation of the Panoz’s high-strength aluminum-intensive chassis. Carbon fiber and other lightweight composites will also make up the Avezzano’s construction. It will be powered by a supercharged 6.2-liter “easy to maintain American V8” making at least 560 bhp.

Hooray for stubborn little automakers sticking to the basics to give us a raw sports car experience. I’m sure the build quality will be comparable to Porsche’s. And if you ever see one of these in the future, be sure to take a picture because there probably won’t be too many of these babies built.