On sunday 17th april the Dutch Panhard Automobile Club started the 2016 trip season at a location nearby. French Panhards: rare and special, so you know you just have to be there. Well then, after a five minute drive -give or take a few minutes- I arrived at the hot spot with my little Canon camera.
The Panhard owners and their passengers had a tour in an adjacent museum, it was almost surreal to walk in a field with a collection of Panhard et Levassor (the company’s original name) automobiles and seeing only a handful of people during the time I spent there. Now let’s have a closer look at these specialties.
The first one is this 1962 Panhard PL 17 Type L4.
1964 Panhard PL 17 Type L9, which means it’s a break (a French wagon).
A line-up of Panhard PL 17 models. The PL 17 model was built from 1959 to 1965.
This one is a 1962 Panhard PL 17 Type L4 Tigre. Type L4 means the model years 1961 and 1962.
Another 1962 Panhard PL 17 Type 4.
The rear side of the line-up.
The interior of a 1960 Panhard PL 17.
1963 René Bonnet Missile.
The automaker’s name and logo.
1964 Panhard 24 BT. The 24 model, introduced in 1963, was a very modern and safe car in those days.
1962 Panhard PL 17 Type L4 Tigre in a beautiful bright color.
Obviously other countries have a Panhard club too.
The face of a 1958 Panhard Dyna Z12.
And its rear.
1958 Panhard Dyna Z16. The 1954-1959 Dyna Z was the predecessor of the PL 17 model.
Panhard 24 CT, the same model is parked next to it.
1960 DB ( Deutsch et Bonnet ) HBR 5.
1960 DB Le Mans.
1966 Panhard 24 BT.
1962 Panhard PL 17 Type L5, the very rare convertible.
Magnifique !
Now this is travelling in style !
This splendid automobile is a 1933 Panhard et Levassor 6CS Type X72, equipped with a 2.5 liter 6-cylinder Knight-licensed sleeve valve engine.
A more humble French car from the thirties is this 1939 Simca 8 with a 1.1 liter 4-cylinder engine.
Also present, a 1979 Peugeot 504 convertible by Pininfarina.
Meanwhile a 1983 Volkswagen T3 Caravelle with a 1.9 liter diesel engine was passing by.
All in all, this was absolutely a worthwhile visit on a cool Sunday morning !
Panhard hog heaven! I would have loved to be there…always had a special place in my heart for Panhards. I especially love the 24 BT/CT coupes, a wonderful take on the Corvair.
You didn’t mention it, but all of these post-war Panhards were powered by an air-cooled boxer twin, driving the front wheels. Due to lots of attention to keeping weight down, their performance was quite good for their time, given all of 850 cc displacement.
Curiously, not one Dyna Junior, which is the only Panhard I’ve ever found here: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-european/curbside-classic-panhard-dyna-junior-roadster-how-did-you-end-up-here-like-this/
But then it was hardly able to run with these guys.
The 1958 Panhard Dyna looks like it’s trying to swallow a flying saucer. I’ve only ever seen two Panhards in the USA (Dyna and PL 17) and that was decades ago.
Neat cars in their own way. Came across a few in Cambridge MA in the early 70’s. What I really covet though is the Peugeot 504 convertible. Thank you for posting.
Odd looking to me .
-Nate
When I look at the Panhard 24, I can’t help but think that the designer of the outgoing 2011-2016 Hyundai Elantra was looking heavily at that when penning the newer car. The spear down the side of the car, the shape of the front end, lights, and even taillights all look so similar, but 40 years later.
Wow, certainly more Panhards than I have ever seen anywhere at once. Meaning more than one.
Also, it is so nice that they are all stock. Nothing more boring than looking at a bunch of Panhard rods at a show. (Sorry 🙂 )
that was good…..
Wonderfully odd looking, of course I love them. And I’d love to own one, even more than a 2CV.
A couple of years ago, I had the joy of seeing a DB coupe (memory has it being either a HBR 5 or variant), and the owner was amazed that he didn’t have to explain what it was to me.
I’ve never seen a Panhard in person, but I think they are neat. The chrome around the headlights on some of them makes them look like they are wearing glasses.
I very much like the 24BT. On these and the PL 17, the bumpers look quite prominent. Was Panhard marketing them as a safety car?
Cool as, is it just me or does that little Simca 8 look like an enlarged fiat Topolino?Ive not seen that many Panhards in this lifetime never mind all in one place Wow love em, wrap that missile I’ll take it.
Pre-war Simcas were licence-built Fiats. They built the Topolino in France too.
What a cool gathering of cars from a now-obscure manufacturer. I’ve never seen even a single example here in the States. I especially like the 24CT, and the deep teal color of that first 24BT in the post is fantastic as well.
No prewar Dynamics though? Those were fantastic streamlined design…
The Dynamic was a really extreme Art-Deco luxury car. It’s no wonder Panhard couldn’t sustain themselves in that market.
That 1933 model. I want it.
Thanks for the report, so few made it to the U.S., its great to see some are still preserved.
I saw a few of these on the streets. Our town was the home of a French army garnison. It is my understanding that the bodies were made of aluminum until the material became too expensive. The engine was based on Citroen’s 2CV boxer.I really like the eyebrows.
What a fascinating and colourful array of amazing cars. Johannes, thanks so much for taking us along.
Great lineup! Few automakers do “quirky” like French automakers (in a good way, of course).
Here’s a video of the wipers on a Panhard in action. Makes you wonder what the linkage is like.
That is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!
The linkage is very simple, just two rods coming out from a little bracket from the wiper motor. Each rod attaches to a short spindle on each wiper arm. This black 24bt was my car. I sold it to a museum in Nashville, TN. Their website is: http://www.lanemotormuseum.com. Our club’s website is: http://www.panhardusa.org. thanks for posting my video.
Here I thought that the Quebeqois french were weird. The French french are even more weird. Wonderfully weird.
Normally I like the longroof version of things but not these. I’d drive any of these any day of the week. I really like the smiling faces with the long eyebrow trim to match the huge grin the driver would have. I know I would.
The motion of the wipers in the video above just proves they hired artists and not engineers.
Great piece. Like them or not, these cars are distinctive and true to their own vernacular, which makes the wagon stand out as not quite as ‘cohesive’ as the rest of this parade. 24B/CT for me.
Very interesting array of unusual cars.
Some of the wheels look like they are similar to the early 60s Pontiac wheels, where the wheel is bolted around a protruding brake drum.