AC 378 GT Zagato


The AC 378 GT Zagato is a sports car designed by the Italian design company Zagato and built in South Africa by Hi-Tech Automotive. It was unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The design of the 378 GT was previewed in 2009 as the Perana Z-One, and was later badged as an AC Cars product. Sales were expected to commence by the end of 2012.
The car is powered by a 6.2 L V8 GM sourced engine found in the Chevrolet Camaro. Weighing, the car has a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of 3.9 seconds and a top speed of around 298 km/h. The car does not feature any electronic driver aids.
The car was priced at around €109,990 for the coupe version.

History

In February 2009, the South African company Perana presented the result of its cooperation with the Italian design studio Zagato, a small sports car with a coupé body. Named the Perana Z-One, it was officially presented at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show.
The styling of the Z-One was described by the manufacturer as a combination of futurism, lightness and aerodynamics. The car received a characteristic, slim silhouette with a flat, elongated front and muscular rear wheel arches. Typically for cars designed by Zagato, the front fascia was decorated with a low, rounded radiator grille with a structure of chrome, horizontal bars.
The car is powered by a 6.2-liter LS3 V8 with and of maximum torque at 6600 rpm. Weighing less than 1.2 tons, it's estimated to accelerate to 100 km/h in less than 4 seconds. The engine comes from the Chevrolet Corvette C6.

Name change

Three years after the premiere of the Z-One, Perana Performance Group faced financial difficulties and handed over the project to British company AC Cars. As a result, the car was given a new name, the AC 378 GT Zagato. A characteristic feature of the model after being renamed an AC was the lack of electronic driver assistance systems, aimed at experienced, talented drivers.

Sale

Sales of the car began in July 2009. Originally, Perana planned to produce a limited number of 999 units at the plant in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, at a price of $70,000 per car. Ultimately, however, only 10 units of the sports model were built under the Perana brand, 7 of which went to customers in the United States. In February 2017, one of them was listed for $125,999 on eBay. After being renamed AC 378 GT Zagato, production continued to be handled by plants belonging to Hi-Tech Automotive in South Africa, but this also failed to be realized on a large scale and after 2012, information about the car ceased.