Monterey has seen its share of debuts and this year stays true to form. Tucked among the exotica at
Concorso Italiano was the new Zagato-styled, Hi-Tech-built and Superfomance-sold, Perana Z-One sports/GT.
It's beautiful. And the build quality is exquisite. The panel gaps put all the high-priced Italian vehicles surrounding it to shame. The styling is definitely that of a European GT, a shape that holds its own in the company of an Alfa Romeo 8C, Aston Martin or a Ferrari 599. With that Corvette engine under its long nose, however, it's reminiscent of classic Italian/Amercan collaborative sports car efforts from companies like DeTomaso, Iso and Bizzarrini.
We weren't alone in being smitten by this new $100,000 sports car either. It was mobbed all day, even amidst the dazzling variety from the likes of Lamborghini and Maserati. We're hoping to arrange some seat time on the Perana Z-One, but for moment, feast your eyes on the gallery below and you'll understand why we see big things in this vehicle's future.
Fully certifiable for the road, this ultra high-performance, front-engined sports coupé uses a powerful 6.2 litre V8 engine to drive the rear wheels. The Perana Z-one is a genuine 2-seater coupé that enjoys the benefits of 50/50 weight distribution allowing for exhilarating, balanced and predictable road manners.
The powerful 6.2 litre V8 engine produces 330kW and allows the Perana Z-one to attain a 0-100km/h figure of under 4 seconds and reach 0-160km/h in under 10 seconds.