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 Panoz Esperante GTR-1 in the paddock of the 2022 Le Mans Classic | |
| Category | GT1 LMP1 (modified) |
|---|---|
| Constructor | Panoz Auto Development andReynard Motorsport |
| Designer | Nigel Stroud |
| Technical specifications | |
| Engine | Roush Racing Ford, 6,000 cc (366.1 cu in),V8, NA, frontmid-engine Élan 6L8, 6,000 cc (366.1 cu in), V8, NA, front mid-engine (Larbre Compétition) |
| Tyres | Goodyear (1997) Michelin |
| Competition history | |
| Notable entrants |  Panoz Motorsports David Price Racing DAMS Larbre Compétition |
| Notable drivers |  David BrabhamAndy WallaceEric Bernard Raul BoeselJohnny O'Connell |
| Debut | 199712 Hours of Sebring |
ThePanoz Esperante GTR-1 (also known asPanoz GTR-1 and later thePanoz GTP) was arace car developed byPanoz Auto Development andReynard Motorsport forgrand tourerendurance racing in 1997. Although named after thePanoz Esperante roadster, the GTR-1 actually bore no mechanical relation to the production Esperante, instead sharing only minor styling points. Only two road-legal GTR-1s were built to meethomologation requirements set forth by the ruling bodies which the racing cars ran under.
The GTR-1 competed in theFIA GT Championship and24 Hours of Le Mans in Europe as well as theIMSAGT,United States Road Racing Championship, andAmerican Le Mans Series in North America.
From 1996,Reynard Motorsports' special vehicles division began working withPanoz to develop agrand tourer style racing car meant for the upcomingFIA GT Championship in 1997.Don Panoz, wanting to keep an American-style of design, insisted that the car be based on hisEsperante sports car in some way. Due to this, the Esperante GTR-1 became unique in comparison to itsMercedes-Benz,Lotus,Porsche, andMcLaren counterparts in that, like the production Esperante, the engine was located in front of the cockpit. Although locating the engine behind the front axle gave the car a balanced mid-engine layout, having the engine in front gave the car unusual proportions, including a large nose and a cockpit placed as far back in the body. The unusual look, including a large bulging intake in the center of the nose, earned the car the nickname "Batmobile" due to its resemblance to the car used by the comic book hero. Following the initial 1997 season, the bodywork was modified in 1998 by lengthening the front and rear bodywork for increased downforce and handling capabilities.
For the engine, Panoz attempted to keep the American theme by using aFordV8 engine similar to the one used in his Esperante. Instead of the standard32-valve DOHC 4.6L V8, Panoz turned toRoush Racing ofNASCAR to construct a 6.0L V8 based on the Ford engine. Panoz'sÉlan Power Products would maintain the V8 engines and continue their development.
In order to meethomologation requirements wherein race cars had to be based on road legal production cars, Panoz built a single GTR-1 which featured full interiors and minor modifications to make it able to be legally registered. This car has been retained by Don Panoz. It now features a slightly smaller 5.3L V8 instead of the full 6.0L V8 race engine, since rules allowed engine sizes to be modified in the racing cars.
For 1998, in a time when the first proper battery electric cars like theGeneral Motors EV1 were on streets in California along with the firstToyota Prius Hybrids, and about a decade before Formula one and Le Mans racing started considering Hybrids, Panoz reached an agreement with English firmZytek to develop ahybrid electric motor for the Esperante GTR-1. The Q9 GTR-1 Hybrid, nicknamed "Sparky", was constructed by Panoz, Reynard, and Zytek and developed by David Price Racing for the 1998 season. In honor of its electric power, the car received a unique purple paint job with large yellow lightning bolts.
The idea was that the car would be able to gain better fuel mileage by using an electric motor that would help drive the rear wheels during acceleration, thus requiring less power from the gasoline engine and consuming less fuel. The car would of course require a set of batteries to power the electric motor. To recharge the batteries, a regenerative braking system would be used, the same electric motor now being used to generate electricity. This would reduce the wastage of energy normally emitted as heat from the brakes. By using less fuel, the car would thus be able to make fewer pit stops in endurance races, such as the24 Hours of Le Mans, and thus would be able to spend more time on the track and achieve a farther distance.[1]
Zytek's oil-cooled, permanent magnet,Brushless DC electric motor/generator was powered by aVARTA 300-volt, 260-cellnickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery pack. It provided on demand 30 percent or 195 hp of the approximately 650 horsepower produced by the hybrid power unit.[2]
The battery—composed of a series of cells—is from Germany's Varta Co. and weighs only 220 pounds; the Zytec motor, another 35. Pretty light for a unit that produces 150 hp.[3]
A total of six Esperante GTR-1s were built by Panoz, Ford and Reynard, with them being split amongst three teams. Panoz would retain two cars for their own factory effort in the United States. French squadDAMS would use two in Europe along with British teamDavid Price Racing who received the final two cars. The cars debuted at the 199712 Hours of Sebring, but failed to finish after 108 laps. Meanwhile, David Price's first Esperante GTR-1 would debut atHockenheimring for theFIA GT Championship, and managed to finish 11th overall behind theMcLaren andPorsche competitors. DAMS' car debuted a round later atSilverstone Circuit, although it failed to finish.
As the three teams continued, Panoz's factory team took the first success atRoad Atlanta, winning a GT-class only event. This was followed by the 6 Hours ofWatkins Glen, winning the GTS-1 class and finishing 3rd overall, a mere two laps behind the winning prototype. The factory team would follow this with wins in the GT class atSonoma Raceway andLaguna Seca. Panoz would finish second toPorsche in the constructors championship that season.
In Europe however, the Esperante GTR-1 suffered from a lack of pace against much better funded factory efforts which were mostly lacking in North America. DAMS was unable to score any points in the championship, while David Price finished third in American soil atSebring in one of the final rounds of the FIA GT season, earning the team 6th place in the team's championship.
For the24 Hours of Le Mans, three GTR-1s were entered by David Price and DAMS. None of the cars was able to finish, mostly due to engine difficulties. DAMS car burned, destroying chassis #005 and requiring it to be replaced.
For 1998, with the evolved Esperante GTR-1 bodywork, the program was expanded. The factory Panoz team would race not only inIMSA GT but also in the newUnited States Road Racing Championship. DAMS would continue in FIA GT, while David Price would drop out in an attempt to develop the Esperante GTR-1 Q9 for the24 Hours of Le Mans.
In USSRC, the factory Panoz team fought hard withPorsche in the GT class, winning the class in three of the five events in the season but losing to Porsche in the manufacturers championship by a mere three points, although it won the teams championship. In IMSA, Panoz was more dominant as they won seven of the eight races, including taking an overall win at the rain drenchedSebring Fall Festival in October. This earned them the constructors and teams championship for the season.
In Europe,DAMS also proved more powerful. Although incapable of competing with theMercedes-Benz CLK LM juggernaut, it was able to compete well against thePorsche 911 GT1, earning points in seven of ten rounds with best results of third atHockenheimring andDijon-Prenois. This success earned DAMS 5th in the teams championship.
David Price Racing tested the GTR-1 Q9 throughout the season, making its first competition appearance at the test days for the24 Hours of Le Mans. The car was only able to achieve the 39th fastest time, well behind the two Panoz factory entries. It was found that the car was too overweight and slowed down by the addition of the batteries necessary to run the hybrid system. Thus plans for competing at Le Mans were abandoned. The car would make one more appearance later on in the initialPetit Le Mans, part of the IMSA schedule. The car managed to finish 12th overall. After this, the Q9 project was cancelled.
Meanwhile, with the Q9 gone, the Panoz factory team concentrated on Le Mans with their own two cars. Although one car failed to finish, the second entry managed to take a 7th place overall finish a mere 16 laps behind the overall winningPorsche.
Although the Esperante GTR-1 had major success in 1998, Panoz was aware that grand touring racing cars were becoming highly exotic machines with no road car similarities, such as theToyota GT-One. Therefore, Panoz realized he would no longer be able to compete against such cars with the Esperante GTR-1, and it was decided that Panoz would move to theLe Mans prototype class. This was also helped by the fact that theFIA GT Championship decided to abandon the GT1 class, leaving the Esperante GTR-1 unable to compete in Europe.
Therefore, while development of the newLMP-1 Roadster-S was underway, Panoz pushed on with the GTR-1 in the newAmerican Le Mans Series. Two GTR-1s would run at Sebring, both failing to finish. At the next race atRoad Atlanta, the new LMP-1 debuted and a GTR-1 was also run to give the team something to fall back on. It failed to finish as well. For the next round, a second LMP-1 was completed, and so the GTR-1 was retired completely.
The design of the Esperante GTR-1 would form the basis for the LMP-1 Roadster-S, using the same front engine layout and large nose. It is thus seen that the LMP-1 Roadster-S is an Esperante GTR-1 with its roof taken off, the cars actually do share the same chassis according to a short documentary snippet on YouTube presented by Don Panoz (2021).
In 2003, Panoz decided to resurrect chassis #003 (formerly run byDavid Price Racing) to run as a closed-cockpitLe Mans prototype before the company switched to the newEsperante GT-LM GT2 car. The car was entered in the1000km of Le Mans and run by the factory JML Team.[4] The car did not finish due to electronics problems.
Following this event, the car was purchased by French squadLarbre Compétition and further modified, being renamed the Panoz GTP to reflect its change in class. The modified car would debut at the2004 12 Hours of Sebring, finishing 9th overall. The car would next appear at the24 Hours of Le Mans, where it dropped out of the race early on. A final appearance was made in theLe Mans Seriesevent atSpa-Francorchamps, taking 14th place. The car would finally be retired for good after the 2004 season.