Panoz AIV Roadster – Like A Punch to the Solar Plexus !
The mold has been broken. The blanket of automotive conformity lifted. The true American sports car has returned. A car that captures the imagination and awakens the senses. Not a rehash of past glory, but a new sports car, built with the passion and independent spirit once found in American cars. As its name suggests, it is a roadster in the purest sense. Designed and built for the essence of open cockpit driving. A perfect marriage of new automotive technology, classic styling and hand-built craftsmanship. Its all aluminum body and chassis are the first to be designed and built in the U.S. The unmistakable shape of its aerospace industry’s Superplastic Forming (SPF) technology, another automotive industry first. Each panel is carefully assembled by hand. Every weld eyed with precision. Every coat of paint lovingly applied. You can see it as you trace its curves with your eyes. You will know it the first time you slip behind the wheel. The passion and devotion that can only come form a car built by hand
Turn the key and hear the throaty growl of the AIV Roadster’s 305hp. V8 confirm what your other senses have been telling you. This is a high-performance exotic meant for spirited driving. One short throw of the shifter and you’re off. The response of the accelerator matched only by the AIV Roadster’s quick and nimble handling. Braking is precise. Even the tightest corners come and go with ease. And your connection with the road grows stronger with every mile.
The Panoz AIV Roadster stands as a defiant challenge to automotive convention. As different in philosophy as it is in its design and manufacture. It is proof that high-performance and reliability are not mutually exclusive. Proof that the American sports car still lives
TECHNOLOGY & PERFORMANCE
• Twin Tiered extruded aluminum chassis
• Superplastic formed aluminum body
• Hand assembled, front/mid-mounted 305bhp, 4.6L aluminum V8 engine with dual overhead camshafts and 32-valves.
• Dual 2.5-inch exhaust pipes
• Five-speed, short throw manual transmission
• Limited-slip differential
• Quick ratio power assisted rack-and-pinion steering
• Racing inspired, four-wheel independent suspension system with coil-over absorbers
• Four-wheel power assisted disc brakes
• Steel braided high-pressure front brake lines
COMFORT, CONTROLS AND CONVENIENCE
• Custom stitched leather seats
• Hand stitched removable soft top
• Available wood or carbon fiber interior trim
• Nardi three-spoke leather wrapped steering wheel
• Leather shifter and handbrake boots
• Embossed billet aluminum shift knob
• CFC-free air conditioning
• Variable intermittent wipers
• Electronic anti-theft system with ignition immobilization
• Central gauge cluster
• Full analog backlit instrumentation
• Alpine 300-watt AM/FM audio system with In-dash CD player and subwoofer
• Day/night rearview mirror
• Center-console locking storage binnacle
• Driver and passenger door pockets
• Visor mounted vanity mirrors
• Illuminated foot wells
SAFETY
• Steel side-impact door beams
• Inboard three-point safety belts
• Collapsible steering linkage
• Convex right side rearview mirror
• Centrally located fuel tank
COLORS AND TRIM
Exterior: Black, Red, Blue, Green, Silver, Yellow, Custom Paint-To-Match
Interior: Black or Tan
MSRP: $62,500 (as of final production March 2000)
BODY & CHASSIS
Layout: Front mid/engine, rear wheel drive, two passenger, two-door roadster.
Body: Hand assembled lightweight SPF aluminum.
Chassis: Twin-tiered extruded aluminum space frame with steel suspension subframes
ENGINE/DRIVETRAIN
Engine: Hand assembled dual overhead cam, 32-valve, 90-degree aluminum V-8
Displacement: 4.6 Liters/280cid (4,601cc)
Horsepower: 305 @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300 @4,800rpm
Compression Ratio: 9.85:1
Bore x Stroke: 3.55 in. x 3.54 in. (90.2 mm x 90.0 mm)
Fuel Injection: Sequential electronic
Ignition: Distributorless, coil-on-plug
Transmission: Borg Warner 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 ring gear, aluminum case.
SUSPENSION, WHEELS & TIRES
Front: Independent, polished stainless steel Panoz SLA double wishsbone configuration with adjustable coil-over shock absorbers. | Rear: Independent, Panoz SLA double wishsbone configuration with adjustable coil-over shock absorbers.
Wheels: F: 18×8.5 aluminum BBS ‘RK’ / R: 18×10 aluminum BBS ‘RK’
Tires: Front: 245/40ZR18 BFGoodrich G-Force / Rear: 295/35ZR18 BFGoodrich G-Force
BRAKES
Type: Four wheel power assisted disc
Front: 13-inch vented rotor
Rear: 10-inch vented rotor
STEERING
Type Power assisted rack and pinion
Turns lock-to-lock: 2.5
Ratio: 15:1
DIMENSIONS & CAPACITIES
Wheelbase: 104.5 in.
Track (f/r): 66.9 in./63.7 in.
Overall Length: 159.0 in.
Overall Width: 76.75 in.
Overall Height: 52.0 in.
Ride Height: 5.0 in.
Curb Weight: 2,570 lbs.
Fuel Capacity: 11.2 gal.
PERFORMANCE
0-60mph: 4.6sec.
Lateral Acceleration 0.97g
700ft (212m) Slalom: 67.0 mph (107.8 km/h)
Braking from 60mph: 119 ft.
Top Speed: 140 mph