Panoz AIV Roadster

The Panoz Roadster was originally introduced in 1992 featuring aluminum body panels on a steel frame and powered by the Ford 5.0-liter V8 engine from the Ford Mustang. Only 44 Panoz Roadsters were built to the original design through 1995. In 1996, a new version was unveiled with the same aluminum body panels bonded to an aluminum space frame using special adhesives, and the new 4.6-liter 32-valve double-overhead-cam all-aluminum V8 engine and 5-speed manual transmission from the Ford Mustang SVT. This design was approximately 70% aluminum, and was called the Panoz AIV Roadster. The letters "AIV" stand for "Aluminum Intensive Vehicle." The extensive use of aluminum reduced the roadster's weight to 2,570 pounds, and combined with the new engine's 305 horsepower and 300 foot-pounds of torque, gave the AIV Roadster impressive performance, capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.3 seconds and reach a top speed of 140 miles per hour, while also delivering fuel economy of 19.9 miles per gallon. A total of 176 Panoz AIV Roadsters were produced through 1999, though some were not sold until 2000. This example was photographed at the 2000 Portland International Auto Show at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon.