Panoz AIV: A Mustang-Powered Hot Rod You Probably Never Heard Of
Only the ‘bare’ necessities: the Panoz has 305 horsepower, 2,570 pounds, and no radio or A/C. What more do you need?
When it was released, the 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra offered impressive performance for its day. The pushrod 5.0 liter V8 was gone, replaced by a high-revving, high-tech, all-aluminum DOHC 4.6 liter V8. With 305 horsepower, it was no slouch—it boasted a sub six-second 0-60 mph time, and had stock quarter-mile times squeaking in just under the 14-second mark on its way to a 152 mph top speed. Those are respectable numbers even today, especially considering the 1996 Cobra’s curb weight of 3,400 pounds. That’s some considerable heft, and it’s clear that that engine and drivetrain in a smaller, lighter car would yield even more rapid acceleration.
Enter the rare Panoz AIV—a roadster of original design, but with the soul of a Cobra.
Origin
Panoz was started by Dan Panoz, son of pharmaceutical whiz kid and nicotine patch magnate Don Panoz, this small car company has enjoyed success in sports car endurance racing at the highest levels of the sport. For a long time, they owned Road Atlanta, used for testing their various road cars and racing cars, and were instrumental in the founding of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).
At first glance, it may look rather strange, almost like a barnyard find. Rest assured, this vehicle is anything but that. We found this one on Hemmings.
Interior
Their first car, the Panoz Roadster, was a bare-bones, back-to-basics sports car in the truest sense, lacking creature comforts such as a radio, heater, air conditioning, or a convertible top. Unveiled in 1992, it was succeeding in 1996 by the Panoz AIV.
While the AIV looks similar to the Roadster, it’s almost a complete clean-sheet redesign of the original. It’s all in the name — AIV stands for Aluminum Intensive Vehicle, and it sports lightweight aluminum from the extruded aluminum space frame to the body panels themselves.
