The Panoz Esperante GTR-1 Race Car '98 is a race car produced by Panoz. It first appeared in Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec and has been featured in all subsequent mainline games up to Gran Turismo 6.
The car appears to be the #4, driven by Andy Wallace and David Brabham, who participated in the 1998 United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC) as the car raced at the Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course. The car finished the race in 3rd place overall, achieving the class win in the GT1 class.
In-game description[]
"The GT race machine of Panoz, packing the newest equipment in a classic body."
In 1989, a new automaker was established under the parent company Irish Chassis Design Co., which at one time had been represented by Frank Costin. The name of the new automobile manufacturer was Panoz.
Panoz's general concept was to take the Spartan and other wild sports cars from before the 60s and polish them up to the acceptable standard of today by using the latest technology. Panoz first tried its hand in competition in GT car races starting in 1997, and for that reason, this car is a classic.
With its short-nosed long-decked classical form, the Panoz GTR-1 separated itself from other competitors of the time - such as the Viper - with the design that made it a pure race car, as opposed to a street model.
The vehicle's chassis was a full-carbon monocoque which was designed by Reynard. Although it was an FR, with its near-formula layout, which included a pushrod double wishbone front and back suspension, it was a new generation FR race car.
The car's engine, designed by Jack Roush racing, which is actually second only to Ford Works in NASCAR and SCCA Trans-Am, is a 6L V8 OHV[1] which is capable of putting out roughly 592 HP.
This engine is based on the Ford small-block, but it is an all-aluminum, fuel injected dry sump special, differentiating it even from those in NASCAR use. The transmission is a rear-mounted transaxle. Later, Panoz GTR-1s from 1999 received the moniker Panoz Esperante GTR[2], which chassis development conducted entirely in-house.
Acquisition[]
| Game | Purchase location | Credits | Other methods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec | Panoz Dealership | 2,000,000 | Complete all Time Trials in Arcade Mode Win the Professional Dream Car Championship (1/4 chance) Win the Seattle 100 Miles (1/4 chance) |
| Gran Turismo 4 | Panoz Dealership | 4,500,000 | --- |
| Gran Turismo PSP | Panoz Dealership | 3,500,000 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 5 | Used Car Dealership (Lv. 23+) | 2,950,510 | --- |
| Gran Turismo 6 | Panoz Dealership | 1,700,000 | --- |
Trivia[]
- The in-game depiction has incorrect specifications compared to the real counterpart. The game has its weight at 1,150 kg while the GT1 class car was 970 kg (although the Q9 GTR-1 Hybrid weighed close to 1,100 kg). Other chassis errors in-game are the car's wheelbase, width and track F/R; 2548 mm, 1838 mm, 1514 mm/1475 mm instead of 2687 mm, 1981 mm, 1595 mm/1554 mm respectively. [3] These alterations to the real car's specs negatively impact the car's performance in the games it appeared in.
- The front bumper features a logo of Road Atlanta (prior to its Michelin sponsorship), a track that did not appear in any of the games the Esperante GTR-1 was in.
- Starting from Gran Turismo 4, the USRRC logos and its GT1 class decals were censored and were replaced with Gran Turismo logos, likely due to licensing, as the series had ceased to exist after 1999.
Pictures[]
