Remember the Perana Z-One? Styled by Italian coachbuilder Zagato, the South African-engineered coupe was first conceived in 2007, ahead of the debut of the Z-one concept at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. The car is once again in the spotlight at Geneva, but now goes by the name AC 378 GT Zagato.
Designed to be the ultimate long distance cruiser, the car has a steel space frame chassis, a composite body, Brembo brakes and 20-inch alloy wheels. Power comes from a GM-sourced 6.2-litre V8 engine with 324 kW and 583 Nm of torque. It is connected to a six-speed manual transmission that enables the 1 465 kg coupe to accelerate from 0 – 100 km/h in less than four seconds and hit a top speed of 298 km/h.
The AC 378 GT Zagato is currently available for order in the UK and Germany where it is priced from £89 990 and €109 990 respectively. AC has struggled in recent years, like many of its compatriots in the British car industry. Now under the guidance of new chairman, Sir Jeremy Mackenzie, and with manufacturing bases in the U.K., Germany and South Africa, the company is beginning to look a little more healthy.
