JRD Tuning – the Story
Niclas Jancic and I were childhood friends growing up together around my dad’s sheet metal shop in Alvesta Sweden. At an early age, we began making the toys we couldn’t afford or those that had not yet been invented. After graduating as Engineers from Teknikum in Växjö, we worked together in my dad’s company, but it was cars, or more specifically, customizing cars that was our true passion. In the early nineties, the hobby had turned into a business, but with a limited client base in Sweden we set our sights on the United States. The first years were very humbling. When you come to a new country, it is like starting over from scratch. I could definitely relate to the people that left Sweden a century earlier to find a better life on the other side of the Atlantic.

Fortunately, hard work was not foreign to Niclas and I, and it did not take that long before our abilities were noticed by several of the established companies in the business. We started to provide world renowned companies like RENNTech and Rinspeed with hand formed body panels, an almost extinct craftsmanship that Sweden has become known for. The collaborations resulted in several award winning cars and magazine features, and in 1999 we were asked to move from Florida to Georgia to join Dan Panoz in the development of the Panoz Esperante. Once again, the entire shop was moved, this time to Braselton, just outside of Atlanta Ga. After the major development phase, it was a natural step for us to apply our customizing abilities to the Panoz cars, and we became the official tuner of Panoz vehicles. In 2001, JRD Tuning formed an official partnership with the Panoz organization, headed by Dan’s dad Dr. Don Panoz.

Dr. Panoz is the founder of Élan Corporation, an industry leader in drug delivery products and technology. The company holds more than 100 world-wide patents including the revolutionary nicotine patch. Panoz turned his interest to the world of professional car racing in 1999 as owner of Panoz Motor Sports Group (PMSG) headquartered in Braselton, Ga. Branches of PMSG include the American Le Mans Series, Sebring International Raceway, Road Atlanta, Mosport International Raceway, the Panoz Racing Series, Panoz Racing Schools, Van Diemen, and Élan Motorsports Technologies (EMT). EMT is one of the largest suppliers of racing vehicles in the world with involvement in just about every type of motor sport all over the world. The Panoz Indy Car chassis have won the prestigious Indianapolis 500 three times in addition to the recent 4th place finish by Danica Patrick. Élan Motorsports Technologies has been named by Champ Car as the exclusive provider of chassis for the open-wheel series beginning in 2007. Panoz is also the owner of world renowned resorts and wineries located in Georgia, California, Florida and Scotland.

Aside from the Panoz cars, JRD has kept adding to its portfolio of custom cars. Our clients are professional athletes, recording artists, business executives and movie stars. We differ from other tuning outfits in the way that we are fundamentally coach builders. This means that we can build a car from scratch, if we so desire, and together with the rest of the Panoz power house of technology we can offer uncontested services.