Panoz all the rage, regrets to Lola

No one in Long Beach is shedding a tear for Lola.

Poor Lola. So steadfast and true to the Long Beach Grand Prix and the Champ Car World Series for the last five years, she has been sent packing like a Starter Wife, replaced by a newer, younger, sexier model.

Her name is Panoz.

"Sexy," said Jim Michaelian, the curator of all things Grand Prix as he gazed at Panoz sitting seductively outside the Museum of Latin American Art Wednesday during media festivities.

"A much sleeker body than the blocky look of last year's model," he said. "I think the fans will really notice the difference."

Poor Lola.

At least half of the fans at Sunday's Grand Prix wouldn't know a lug nut from a walnut, so the sexy distinction between the absent "Lola" – the chassis of choice since 2001 for most Champ Car teams – and the new "Panoz" probably will be a popular aesthetic. More at Long Beach Press Telegram