The long-awaited Perana Z-One supercar will now wear the iconic AC badge as the project receives a new lease of life.
According to a report on Leftlanenews, Perana, the South African Ford performance-tuning firm tasked with manufacturing the Z-One, has encountered financial difficulties with the project and handed it over to German-owned AC Cars by Gullwing GmbH.
The AC-badged car will be dubbed the AC 378 GT Zagato and its lightweight body will still be styled and crafted by renowned Italian coachbuilder Zagato. It will become the first new model to wear the AC badge in over a decade, joining the ranks of such AC icons of the past as the Ace, Aceca and Cobra. Although Perana has relinquished its named rights to the project, the car will still be manufactured in South Africa.
The AC 378 GT Zagato utilizes a tubular box-section chassis upon which the plastic body is placed and will tip the scales at a shade under 1 500 kg. Power will be supplied by a Chevrolet-sourced 6,2-litre V8 sending power to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. This unit, which normally does service in the Corvette, develops around 327 kW and 582 N.m of torque – enough to propel the car from 0-100 km/h in less than four seconds.
This model has been touted as a starting point for the company’s new model offensive, which will see the introduction of several all-new models alongside replicas of such past icons as the AC Ace Bristol Zagato and Ace-Classic.