Known for producing volume cars like the VW Golf and HUMMER H3, the South African town of Port Elizabeth is steadily building a nice repertoire of niche sports cars as well. The coastal town already makes Shelby Cobra replicas and Noble supercars for the world. Joining this elite two-some is the Perana Z-One of which a fair amount has been said lately.
Designed by Italian design consultancy and engineering house Zagato the Z-one packs a 6.2-litre LS3 Corvette V8 engine worth 330kW. All that power goes to the 345/30/19 Michelin rear tyres while the steering wheel keeps the 275/35/18 front tyres on the road. Control of the Z-One is left very much to the driver since ABS for the 325mm front brake discs and ESP systems are nowhere to be found. There is a limited slip differential (LSD) fitted though so take-off and some of the handling challenges are tackled in this way. The Z-One could prove quite a mission for the driver to contain it since Perana is imposing a 1,195kg maximum weight limit on it.
Ultimate production will be limited to 999 units and European pricing is expected to hover around the €50,000 region. But first it must be scrutinised by the educated public and critical world media at the 2009 Geneva International Motor Show next week. Soon after a European dealer network will be finalised and production will begin.
