Tales of Le Mans from the Forgotten Marques — Part 2: Private dreams end at dawn

Panoz is a fine story to pick up the thread on unknown marques and the fever that is the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Don Panoz was an Italian-American entrepreneur who had built his fortune in pharmaceuticals through the nicotine patch. Plenty of money, a Le Mans dream, and a choice that was nothing short of eccentric: entering the Panoz Esperante GTR-1, a racing version inspired by American Muscle cars. Front-engined — this was the late Nineties, when the mid-engine layout ruled — an enormous Ford V8 of 6000cc planted up front in a long, loud, brutal machine that was completely outside the technical thinking of the era. It never won, which was predictable, but it was loved. And it was no dead end: Don Panoz went further, buying circuits and founding the American Le Mans Series.