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Originally Posted by Chiana
Also while it's always nice to get some PR value there's not much point in racing if you're not allowed to get anything out of it - especially since the car seems to have (some) potential. They can do their testing outside public and keep somehow praying for actual homologation
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As written on July 18 before Mosport, there are currently no plans to homologate the Abruzzi; it will race at least the remainder of the 2011 season unclassified:
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The Don’s beloved Abruzzi will be able to race. It’s suggested that the Abruzzi could be homologated, including the required 25 road cars (though building and selling are different propositions), but there are now no plans to do so. The previously-rumored homologation project is now on hold....
...The one bright spot within GT is – oddly enough – the Abruzzi. Homologation aside, The Don is determined to race the car, and Prototype Technology Group has been working hard to make that happen. Those who dismissed 32-year-old Swede Edward Sandström as a “rent-a-ride” badly missed the mark. Sandström has been a regular in the FIA GT3 championship in Europe, and partnered Tommy Milner to a win at the 24 Hours of Dubai this year, giving PTG good insight on his driving skills. There have been some problems with this program (and Murphy’s no fan of the styling, to put it mildly), but he doesn’t think The Don’s entry will be the GT backmarker at Mosport. This time it’s possible as many as four entries could finish in its wake.
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In my opinion, there is absolutely no possibility of Panoz Auto Development building and selling 25 Abruzzi road cars. Can they get the ACO to homologate on the basis of the Esperante GTLM? Perhaps, since they share the basic platform/chassis, the last generation based on a Multimatic build. The fact that homologation is "on hold" may indicate that the ACO isn't interested in that approach. If one remembers the history behind the "road car minimum rule," it's not hard to conclude the ACO won't want to fiddle with it.