Élan Motorsport Technologies

Sports cars

Panoz entered racing with the 1997 Esperante GTR-1, a GT1-class car that looked almost nothing like a road vehicle and stood out because its engine sat up front while every rival used a rear-engine layout. When rules shifted in 1999, the company built an open-top LMP900 spyder called the Panoz LMP-1 Roadster-S, which kept the front-engine configuration. Its unusual design and 6.0-liter Ford-based V8 made it a crowd favorite. A planned successor, the Andy Thorby-designed LMP07, arrived in 2001 with high hopes but flopped; it used a Zytek V8 modified by Élan Power Products, marking the first time the Élan name appeared in Panoz motorsports.

The LMP-1 returned mid-season and raced through 2003. In 2003, Élan introduced the Esperante GTLM, a GT2-class car based on the production Esperante. Hyper Sport Competition ran the 2003 version as a development year, and a revised car debuted in 2004. Powered by an EPP 5.0-liter V8, the GTLM won the GT2 class at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2006 with Multimatic Motorsports and the 24 Hours of Le Mans that same year with Team LNT. Élan also builds the Esperante GTS, a simpler car with a pushrod V8, tube frame, and fiberglass body, eligible for one-make and SCCA events.

It is used in the Panoz Racing Series, and a detuned version serves the Panoz Racing School. For the IMSA Prototype Lites series, Élan produces the Élan Van Diemen DP02, DP04, and DP06, all small center-seat prototypes adapted from open-wheel designs. The DP02 began life for the abandoned Formula X series before moving to Star Mazda, while the DP04 came from a Formula 1000 car. A DP04 variant also qualifies for SCCA Sports Racer classes.

Open wheel

Following the 2002 purchase of G-Force, Élan Motorsport Technologies took over production of the third generation IRL chassis. The chassis, now branded as a "Panoz G-Force," was designed by former Lola designer Simon Marshall and began use during the 2003 season. The car was built in Braselton at the Élan facilities, with design/engineering done at G-Force's remaining operations in England. The car saw early success winning the 2003 Indy 500 with Team Penske's Gil de Ferran and the 2004 Indy 500 with Rahal Letterman Racing's Buddy Rice.

Beginning in 2005, the "G-Force" name was dropped in order to focus on the Panoz brand. All design and engineering operations were moved to Elan's facility in Braselton. During the 2005 season, teams started to abandon the chassis (in favor of the Dallara) as it became increasingly unstable in traffic at Indy. By 2006, Rahal Letterman Racing was the only team fielding the chassis full-time.

The lack of use in turn caused Élan/Panoz to cease development and support. Focus shifted to their DP01 program in Champ Car, further rendering the GF09 uncompetitive. A Panoz G-Force last competed in an IndyCar race in 2007 with Playa Del Racing's two entries and Chastain Motorsports' single car. American Dream Motorsports entered a Panoz in the 2008 Indy 500 for Phil Giebler, but he crashed in practice.

In December 2008, Panoz announced the discontinuation of their IndyCar Series program due to Panoz's concentration on sports car racing in 2008 beyond and also several IndyCar Series teams opting for Dallara IR5 chassis. Specifications: Chassis: Carbon-fiber monocoque; Roll hoop shape: Triangle; Length: 192 in; Height: 37.5 in excluding roll hoop or camera mount; Width: 77.5 to 78.5 in measured outside rim to rim; Gearbox: Xtrac #295 (gears forward of rear axle) manual sequential 6-speed gearbox operated via gear lever in the right hand of cockpit; Suspension: Pushrod with multilink; Engine: Honda Indy V8, 3498 cc, normally aspirated; Fuel: Ethanol; Tires: Firestone Firehawk. Élan's latest race car is a prototype-style, tube-frame car designed for the 2016 National Auto Sport Association (NASA) Prototype series.

It features a four-cylinder Mazda MZR engine mated to a six-speed sequential gearbox. The Panoz DP01 was Élan's most recent foray into major open wheel racing and the first designed and built by Élan. The DP01 was the sole chassis used for the Champ Car World Series in the 2007 season and the 2008 Long Beach Grand Prix. The Panoz DP09 was constructed for the inaugural season of the Superleague Formula.

Panoz, under the Élan Motorsports banner, produced all the cars for this racing series. The car weighed 675 kg and used a 750 bhp engine built by Menard Competition Technologies. Élan acquired the Van Diemen company in 1999. Van Diemen produced cars for Formula Ford championships around the globe. British race team Fluid Motorsport have taken over the former Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk, United Kingdom where they offer a parts and certification service for historic Van Diemen designs as well as compete in the British Formula Ford Championship.

Van Diemen's Formula Ford designs were optimized for American Formula 1000, Formula Continental and F2000 racing, with the Élan Van Diemen DP04, DP06 and DP08 designs. Van Diemen, once the largest manufacturer of bespoke racing cars in the world through its dominance of Formula Ford, now no longer produces cars for the market. An Élan/Van Diemen chassis with a spec wing package has been the specified chassis for the U.S. F2000 National Championship since its revival in 2010. It was replaced by a new chassis produced by Tatuus in 2017.