Aerosmith front-man and American Idol judge Steven Tyler is known for his big voice and his eclectic fashion sense, and it seems his choice of cars is equally unusual.

Now his old Panoz AIV Roadster (the yellow car in the back ground in the above picture) is up for sale, not by Mr. Tyler, but from the car’s current owner. The ad says it has been signed by Steven Tyler, has a Cobra engine and is “virtually flawless.” It currently has 9,103-miles on it.

The seller, whose name is not mentioned, says he is the star of the movie “The Secret” and that he is the author of the book “The Attractor Factor.”

Well if he is an author, he should take some writing lessons, because the ad is terribly written and the quality of the pictures he provided are horrendous.

The seller also says he wants a minimum of $100,000 for this car, which is much more than this car’s actual market value.

If you’re a serious Steven Tyler fan, maybe this car is for you. We would rather… walk away.

[Source: eBay]

Don Panoz, the mastermind behind the production of hand-built exotic sportscars like the Panoz Esperante and 24 Hours of Le Mans GT2 class winning Esperante GTLM (2006), has outdone himself with this latest creation, the Abruzzi ‘Spirit of Le Mans’.

Built and named to pay tribute to what Panoz considers the world’s greatest motor race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Abruzzi is both a technological marvel and a uniquely delivered ownership experience, with every one of the planned 81 examples being delivered to their European owners at the famed Circuit de La Sarthe racing circuit where the day-long mid-summer classic takes place each year.

The link to Le Mans will go deeper still, with each Abruzzi’s chassis number containing the date of the Le Mans race it was delivered on. Each delivery will also include professional driving instruction on the Bugatti Circuit at Le Mans and all service and repair work will be done at the ACO facilities at the Circuit 24 Hours Le Mans.

The uniqueness of the Abruzzi buying experience doesn’t end there. Panoz will give each new owner the VIP treatment during the 24 Hours of Le Mans race weekend including access to the ACO hospitality facilities and a parade lap of the full 8.3-mile La Sarthe circuit. There will also be a ‘Spirit of Le Mans’ reception held at the clubhouse of the famed 24 Hours golf club in the historic town of Arnage, where new Abruzzi owners can rub elbows with past Le Mans winners including Derek Bell and Jacky Ickx.

Although the Abruzzi will be road legal and available for purchase in Europe and parts of Asia, this front-engine rear-wheel drive very bespoke sports car will not be seen on North American roadways. But if you can afford one, chances are you’ve got a villa in the south of France where you can enjoy this 600-hp piece of rolling art work. And if you do buy one, you’ll have to let us know how its Recyclable Energy Absorbing Matrix System (REAMS) body works out, since its multi-layer composite construction is apparently lighter than carbon fiber and just as strong while also being dent-resistant, shatter-proof and completely recyclable.

A video interview of Don Panoz speaking about the creation of the Abruzzi ‘Spirit of Le Mans’ is available after the jump.

[Source: American Le Mans Series]

American specialty car maker Panoz is set to unveil their new Abruzzi sports car next Tuesday, at the Le Sarthe circuit, better known as the home of the legendary24 Hours of LeMans race.

The Abruzzi, named after the Italian region that was devastated by an earthquake last year, is the successor to the current Panoz Esperante sports car.

No further details have been revealed, but considering Panoz’s history of building great road and race cars, the Abruzzi should carry on that legacy without disappointing sports car fans.

[Source: Autoblog]

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2010

REVEAL OF PANOZ ABRUZZI “SPIRIT OF LE MANS” DRAWING CLOSER
New hint of Panoz`s new supercar…built from one man`s dream

HOSCHTON, Ga. – A champion of innovation and forward-thinking, Don Panoz will unveil his latest automotive dream machine next week at a most familiar location – Le Mans, France. The cloak will come off the new Abruzzi “Spirit of Le Mans” a few days before the start of the famed 24-hour race in the Sarthe region of France. Panoz, founder of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón and the Panoz Motor Sports Group empire, created even more anticipation by releasing another teaser image of the new super car.

The world’s international media and press contingent will see the Abruzzi “Spirit of Le Mans” for the first time in all its glory at noon CET on Tuesday, June 8. The public will gaze on it as well throughout the event weekend when it will be the main attraction in the Village – an expansive central location at the circuit that hundreds of thousands of spectators and guests will pass through for meals, merchandise and entertainment.

Most assuredly, the hand-built, limited-production car and its fanfare will capture the Spirit of Le Mans in more ways than one. Purchasers of the Abruzzi “Spirit of Le Mans” will enjoy one of the most exclusive and unique delivery experiences ever offered in the automotive history.

“The anticipation of the public in seeing the Abruzzi ‘Spirit of Le Mans’ is only slightly behind my own,” Panoz said. “I can guarantee that there has never been such a unique ownership and delivery program around such a spectacular automobile. It quite appropriately captures my dream and my experience of Le Mans – an event that is among the most meaningful of my life.”

Panoz Auto Development – located in Hoschton, Ga. – will produce the Abruzzi “Spirit of Le Mans”. It remains one of the world’s few remaining small-volume sports car manufacturing companies. In the tradition of pioneering design philosophies born out of the Panoz AIV Roadster, the Abruzzi “Spirit of Le Mans” features multiple technological breakthroughs and advances. Among them are the using of REAMS® material technology in the actual body construction – “REAMS®” standing for Recyclable Energy Absorbing Matrix System. It offers unprecedented environmental, performance and structural advantages.

The Abruzzi also introduces a three-stage “TRIFECTACOOLING”® technology, an innovative development that improves both engine performance and efficiency thanks to multiple cooling systems that lower coolant temperature on both the inflow to and the outflow from the radiator. The Abruzzi also extensively employs LED lighting technologies, both functionally and stylistically.

Panoz Auto Development produces leading-edge, fully certified automobiles and is best known for the first US-manufactured AIV (Aluminum Intensive Vehicle) – the Panoz AIV Roadster. The Panoz Esperante body and chassis also extensively employs aluminum for performance, safety and efficiency. The Panoz Esperante GTLM earned world-famous stature as a race car by winning the GT2 category at both the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a single year – 2006.

Panoz isn’t exactly a household name and yet the American sports car maker has been building exotics for almost two decades. Set to debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans next month, Panoz will look to heighten awareness of the brand when it unveils the all-new Abruzzi “Spirit of Le Mans” mode. Its third model ever.

For those who don’t know, Panoz gets its name from Don Panoz, the man behind the American Le Mans Series. In the past his road cars have competed on track as well so we’ll be sure to await further news of an Abruzzi GT.

As for the vehicle itself, we don’t know much other than the body is made from a Recyclable Energy Absorbing Matrix System (which sounds to us like carbon fiber mixed with pop cans). The teaser photo above doesn’t show much, but so far we think it looks a lot like a Morgan Aero 8.

We’ll be sure to bring you more info when the Abruzzi gets its world premiere on June 7th.

[Source: ALMS]