The Panoz AIV Is The American Roadster Everyone Forgot Existed

The Shelby Cobra is typically first that comes to mind when talking about a true-blue American roadster. Then again, the Panoz AIV deserves equal praise for being ahead of its time. The AIV (or Aluminum-Intensive Vehicle) is America's first all-aluminum production car (per Panoz). Panoz launched the AIV in 1996 as the second-generation variant of the brand's first roadster, which debuted in 1992. The automaker sold 44 units of the original roadster based on a chassis by British engineer Frank Costin, who previously designed the architectures of Maserati, Lotus, and Lister racing cars while advancing the adoption of aeronautics-based monocoque chassis construction to land-bound vehicles (per Hemmings).

Equipped with a Ford 5.0-liter V8 and no roof to mask the noise, Panoz claims the first-gen Roadster "was serviceable, reliable, and could take a lot of abuse," great qualities to have in a fun-driving roadster (via Panoz). But in 1996, Panoz unveiled the all-new AIV Roadster, instantly changing the performance car game.

The Panoz AIV was in production from 1996 to 1999. The brand built an additional ten Signature Edition variants in 2000, capping the total production run to 176 units sold, making the AIV Roadster as exclusive as any exotic Ferrari, Jaguar, or Lamborghini (via Panoz). What makes the AIV unique is an all-aluminum spaceframe hiding underneath its Plymouth Prowler-inspired countenance. Under the hood is a more powerful, all-aluminum, hand built quad-cam Ford SVT V8 that produces 305 horsepower (about 100 more than the original Roadster) that revs to an incredible 6,800 rpm (via Car and Driver).

According to Car and Driver in a March 2000 review, the Panoz AIV has no trouble scooting to 60 mph from a dead stop in about 4.6 seconds. Keep your right foot down, and it eclipses the quarter-mile in 13.5 seconds at 103 mph, mightily impressive for a low-volume, open-top sports car. And since it weighs so little (under 2,570 pounds), it has the power-to-weight ratio of a 996-Series Porsche 911 Turbo.

There's a catch. The Panoz AIV doesn't come cheap: one sold at auction in 2020 for $70,000, according to RM Sotheby's. This makes it an expensive toy for deep-pocketed enthusiasts. Moreover, second-hand units are getting harder to come by, and you'll need to a combination of luck and cash to snatch one from its previous owner, with prices typically ranging from under $50,000 for a first-gen roadster to $55,000 for a Panoz AIV (per Hemmings).