Panoz Esperante Spyder GT (2015)

Panoz Esperante Spyder GT

Just a few months after Panoz LLC rolled out the first 25th Anniversary Edition Esperante Spyder, the Georgia-based manufacturer of exclusive sports cars unveiled its supercharged 560-horsepower Spyder GT version at the 2014 Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas.

Panoz LLC will produce no more than 25 Esperante Spyder and Spyder GT sports cars to commemorate the company's motorsports heritage and Panoz sports cars of the past 25 years. Production will be intentionally limited to ensure they remain special and exclusive and keep with Panoz LLC's goal of creating exclusive, American-made, custom hand-built sports cars.

In addition to the higher output V8 under the Esperante Spyder GT's hood, other key upgrades include:

• Wide body carbon composite and aluminum body
• Exterior styling reminiscent of the Le Mans-winning Esperante GTLM race car
• Side exhausts like the Panoz Esperante GT2 race car
• Clear-coated carbon fiber front splitter
• Carbon fiber rear diffuser and side skirts
• Carbon fiber taillight and rear trunk panels
• Sabelt® dry carbon backed leather seats
• Custom 19 x 10.5-inch front wheels
• Custom 19 x 12-inch rear wheels
• Brembo® six-piston monobloc front calipers
• Brembo® four-piston monobloc rear calipers
• LED taillights

Like the Esperante Spyder, the Esperante Spyder GT features the car's namesake Spyder open-cockpit, two-seat configuration with its visually dynamic carbon fiber panel that conceals the functional twin roll hoops, and a new, shorter windshield reinforced by tubular steel A-pillars with and featuring an all-new carbon fiber windshield frame.

The full leather interior of the Spyder GT offers more room than the previous-generation Esperante models and features Alcantara® accents on the seats, dash, door panels, center console, and as inserts on the Spyder's carbon fiber Spyder shell. Further differentiating the GT is its contrasting delineated stitching and real carbon fiber interior trim. Panoz LLC also offers a wide range of custom options, giving customers an array of personalization choices to suit their individual desires and needs.

The Esperante Spyder GT has an all-new leather dash with a state-of-the-art electronic 10.6-inch ID4Motion digital instrument display positioned directly in front of the driver. It offers graphic representations of gauges to monitor the car's vital systems such as speed, rpm, water temperature, oil pressure, charging, temperature, fuel level, and odometer. The display also has two "skins" allowing the driver to choose between traditional black background graphics or a light brushed aluminum/silver background.

The supercharged 560-horsepower engine is coupled with a heavy duty, close-ratio Tremec® T56 Magnum six-speed manual transmission as standard equipment. A six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters is available as an option.

For those desiring more power, Panoz LLC, with help from Élan Power Products, can custom build engines producing 800-plus horsepower. Élan Power Products has decades of experience producing high-performance engines for street applications as well as sports car and open-wheel competition.

The 2015 Panoz 25th Anniversary Edition Esperante Spyder GT is $204,750 (plus destination) and can be ordered through Panoz LLC immediately.