Panoz Esperante
First generation. The Esperante is a sports car made by Panoz, an American car manufacturer. There have been several Esperante models: the base model GT, the GTLM, the GTS, the JRD (an aftermarket upgrade brand similar to Roush Mustangs), the Brabham, and the 2015 430-hp Spyder and 560-hp Spyder GT. Each model has different specifications. The GTLM, for example, uses a supercharger to boost power from to , 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 around lighter than the base Esperante, has a steel 5.8 liter V8 racing engine that produces , and is made of easily replaceable panels to facilitate small impact race repair. It can do 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 4.2 seconds, go up to a top speed of , and achieve 0.98 g of lateral grip. Panoz's engines are sourced from General Motors LS-based small-block engine and Ford Motor Company's Modular V8 family. Production continues today. The company currently builds the Spyder and Spyder GT, an  Esperante convertible with a removable hardtop, and plans were made to introduce a new version of the car in late 2016. The specifications below apply to cars produced in the mid-2000s. The current Esperante Specifications can be found at the Panoz website Racing (Panoz Esperante GTLM). A racing version of the Esperante known as the Esperante GT-LM was developed by Panoz for the GT2 category of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 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 managed to outlast and overtake the remaining LMGT2 contenders in the final hour of the 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans. 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 Le Mans in 2007 with both the #81 and #82 cars. During the 2007 American Le  Mans season the Panoz Esperante GTLM will be managed, stateside, by Tom Milner and Team PTG. They will be campaigning two GT-LMs (#20 and #21). Team PTG scored 1 GT2 class podium in the hands of Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand in 2007 Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg. In the same year, Panoz Esperante GTLM also fielded Robertson Racing Team as 2007 ALMS season part-time entries in the hands of Andrea Robertson, David Robertson and Arie Luyendyk Jr.