GENEVA — In these purely negative-headline times, there still seems to be room for highly exclusive two-seater GT cars from relatively unknown sources — and the Perana Z-One, making its debut at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show, is one of those. It is the work of South Africa's Perana Performance Group, in affiliation with Zagato of Milan.
Perana — linked to U.S. V8 master Perana Motor Corporation — has created a Corvette V8-powered car bearing heavy Zagato and Maserati heritage design cues.
The 440-horsepower V8 engine up front is a swiped and slightly modified Corvette 6.2-liter LS3 unit, but the tubular steel chassis is reportedly all original, as is the Zagato-penned fiberglass body. The six-speed manual transmission chosen for the Z-One is the tough Tremec T56 box from the C6 LS3 driveline, and the Z-One gets a rear-mounted ZF limited-slip differential, ZF variable-assist steering and adjustable Bilstein shocks all around.
With a curb weight stated as 2,629 pounds, the weight-to-power ratio reads 5.98 pounds per horse, versus the 7.48 pounds per hp of the standard C6 LS3 coupe. Acceleration to 60 mph is estimated loosely at under 4 seconds. Wheels are a specific Zagato-Perana design measuring 18 by 10 inches in front and 19 by 12 inches in back, wrapped in Michelin PS2 tires.
Zagato is handling the Geneva show presentation and has announced that the goal is to start deliveries in July to an initially exclusively European clientele.
The base price is expected to be the equivalent of about $65,000, and the intended build goal from Perana's facility just south of Pretoria, South Africa, is 999 units annually.
Inside Line says: Boy, do we ever want to cheer for the little guys and help them win. But could this be another Bitter/Laraki-style deal destined to fall flat in a world that has moved beyond these types of projects? — Matt Davis, Correspondent
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