Panhard RIP Richelieu 2014: The Movie
Today, the Panhard name is almost forgotten in the automotive world, but the French company has released the first production car to the public before Daimler-Benz and Ford and established front-engine, rear wheel drive architecture used by most cars for decades Panhard was also an early adopter of the front wheel, and the colorful history of the company is full of technological achievements, styling, and performance Panhard always led the way and were all least one edge There's never an ordinary Panhard passenger car, the first in 1891 to the last in 1967.
Rene Panhard was an engineer whose business is based in Paris, made woodworking tools and engines built under license with its partner, Emile Levassor, he experimented with horseless carriages, using licensed drivers Daimler in 1891, Panhard Levassor placed the first production car in the world market, using a Daimler engine.
In 1892, they built what is generally considered the first car with a front engine, followed by the clutch and transmission, all driving the rear wheels The modern car is born.
Panhard Levassor quickly established a reputation for fine engineering, excellent craftsmanship, superior reliability and exceptional performance A Panhard traveled from Paris to Versailles and then at Etretat in 1892 without serious mechanical problems and a Panhard won the Paris race -Bordeaux-Paris in 1895, cementing the reputation of the mark of excellence.
Levassor died in 1897, and Arthur Krebs led the company until 1915, focusing on technical innovation and carefully shepherding Panhard's reputation for quality Then the nephew Rene Panhard Paul supported.
Until the Second World War, Panhard focused on the luxury market and was undoubtedly one of the world s best done Many used car engines sleeves valves under license from Knight, and often were equipped superb coachwork on a measure Panhard 290 horsepower roadster set a world speed record of over 133 miles per hour in 1934.
Stylish middle Panoramic -1930s Panhard featured flowing lines, three windscreens centers and two on the sides for panoramic visibility and numerous mechanical innovations Many collectors consider it a luxury Panhard par excellence World war Two-era pre.
The Panoramic, typical of conservative elegance established Panhard, was followed by the 1936-1939 dynamic surprising It was nothing fancy metal art deco with semi-enclosed wheels all around, steering wheel mounted near the center 1939 quietly moved to the side, triple windshield wipers and headlights closed behind bars in his wings chubby dynamic style by the company's longstanding Louis Bionier creator, was technically and bold features stylistically included a central tubular chassis, hydraulic brakes and suspension independent torsion bar to all four wheels but debuted in the depths of depression and was a bit hard sell for the popular or not society, it certainly favored image quality as Panhard, but weird, and even now brand a little weird.
Panhard has increased in the production of trucks, buses and lightly armored military vehicles, but his decision to focus on the passenger car market luxury low volume ultimately it excluded from the global group of leading automakers Other French companies including Citroën, Renault and Simca of production, continued cars mass produced at low cost, a decision that was to serve after the First World war.
The combination of the Great Depression and a strike in 1936 almost destroyed Panhard, and from there until the war, production of commercial and military vehicles accounted for most of the production of the old farm, with only a few cars being turned every day.
son of Paul Jean Panhard, a young qualified engineer with a vision for the future, has joined the company in 1930, he saw that the world would be very different after World War II ended, and already small Panhard traditional market could be greatly reduced as Panhard considered a variety of models, including a midsize car with the body Hotchkiss, Jean Panhard helped transform the company into an entirely new direction of a small car good development market for a Panhard customer had never served before.
The project began with VP-1 for small car Panhard But saw a small car prototype called Aluminum French Gregory designed to showcase the benefits of aluminum construction Inspired by AFG, Panhard developed a new prototype, be largely of aluminum, with four doors, front wheel drive and a two-cylinder engine aluminum.
The Socialist government after the war of France came up with a plan that has acquired supplies that easy for automakers that build small and small cars, cars Fortunately, Panhard had such a car on his boards But drawing was completely omitted from the plan Frantic negotiations finally resulted in Panhard's being included, and therefore able to plan a viable path for himself.
The new small Panhard, dubbed the Dyna, appeared in the form of pre-production in 1946. He went on the market in 1948 leaving aside its body style s, 1930 clearly conservative, he was bristling with technical innovations.
body traditional aspect of the Dyna was manufactured from aluminum as well as its two-cylinder, air-cooled with the roller supporting crankshaft pack much higher than most other she drive front wheel and a four-speed transmission comprising an upper portion overdrive gear and an unusual rear suspension consists of a V-shaped axle and six small torsion bars It was a lightweight miracle, advanced engineering .
But it was also a car of contradictions and Panhard is now a company of contradictions, devoted to culture in costly innovation while engaged in a new low price, lower margin segment Thus, Dyna, with a combination of performance, speed, ride comfort and road holding that astonished the press and shames its competitors such as Renault and Citroën 2CV 4CV had a hard time establishing themselves in the market.
First, the Dyna was relatively expensive, with its complex technical specifications and extensive use of aluminum customers could buy a 4CV 2CV and, before long, a Simca Aronde, at very competitive prices.
In addition, the Dyna, though technically advanced, actually was not as reliable as his peers pistons and connecting rods broke, transmissions and exhaust systems failed with alarming frequency Dyna was noisy and it was vibrating, which could be tolerated in a 2CV, but has become an obstacle for customers who pay the highest price for the Panhard there was no heat, and the car was notoriously leaky.
Lastly, Panhard was a small company compared to the giants of the French automobile industry which was passed by before the war its dealer network was small, limited finances Its factory of Paris had, cramped, and not the type hospital volume production necessary to Dyna very wide indeed successful, Panhard postwar body have all been done elsewhere by entrepreneurs and trucked to Panhard, further reducing profit margins.
Nevertheless, the original Dyna, called Dyna X, steadily gained a loyal group of customers willing to put up with its shortcomings in exchange for its technical prowess, charming driving characteristics and its rapid legendary power size of fuel economy and engine were not increased by step, 600cc and 22 horsepower 750cc and 37 horsepower fine Dyna X model could reach 75 miles per hour, which easily leaves a 4CV in his dust Dyna X brought many trophies of European rallies increasingly popular.
Many specialized manufacturers have used the brilliant Panhard mechanicals as the basis for the most notable sports and racing cars were Charles Deutsch and Rene Bonnet, including sports cars Deutsch-Bonnet charmed lovers and achieved many successful racing Panhard also came out with its own little two seater roadster in the early 1950s, called Junior Junior is still in race trim in the US and elsewhere today.
In 1948, Panhard posted the Dynavia, a bold and extreme aerodynamic study this experimental vehicle shaped drop was the inspiration for the next version of the Panhard Dyna.
This Dyna Z appeared in 1954, featuring a bulbous and said many ugly new aluminum body frame self-supporting whose form was determined by wind tunnel tests and road tests Whatever the idea of his appearance, he left few undecided using a 42- horspower, version 850 cc flat twin Panhard, it could reach 80 miles per hour and has confirmed the title of a Panhard as champion the company fuel economy wanted to develop a new engine for the new car, but the funds weren t available.
Despite its controversial aspect and the high cost, the new Dyna has increased sales of Panhard, and more than 1 percent of 20 thousand of these cars were built by the production time ended in 1959, but Panhard was still a financial struggle to survive, and one victim was the use of aluminum for the chassis of the body in 1958, Dyna bodywork was made of steel, with aluminum used for trim and of course the engine.
Dyna Z, as he recorded new sales levels, not enough to keep solvent Panhard competition from other manufacturers, including Peugeot and Simca was intense, and that the company had made serious miscalculations about the cost of body Now he had to find out what appeared to be financial ruin.
In 1955, Paul Panhard has negotiated an agreement in which Citroën has bought 25 percent of Panhard Panhard Under this arrangement assemble 2CV and Dyna trucks would be sold by dealers Citroen Paul and Jean Panhard believed that the future was bright, Dyna with in much more than she had ever showrooms, and able to plug the huge gap between Citroën 2CV minimalist and large sedans DS ID But what Panhard obviously seen as a Collaboration Pierre Bercot Citroen seemed to see that as a situation of subcontracting and a way to keep a Citroën dealers failure competitor proved to be reluctant promoters Panhard, Panhard has not received any significant financial assistance to develop a new model or engine, it appeared that Panhard lost money on every 2CV truck he put together over the next ten years, bought a Citroen slowly rained s great control of Panhard, and in 1965 completely took over the venerable company.
Meanwhile, Panhard persevered with sales of about 25,000-30,000 vehicles per year the company had in mind a complete overhaul of the Dyna, with a new, modernistic body and perhaps a new engine Due to the chronic shortage funds, these dreams were realized instead, a face lifted Dyna appeared in the spring of 1959, the PL17.
The number is the sum of three significant figures 6 passengers, 6 liters of fuel consumed per 100 km, and an engine displacement 5 5HP fiscal power within the French tax system 850 cc.
The car itself was almost a return to the dynamic art deco Dyna with new front and rear, available in combinations of two wild color tones such as light and dark or black coral and lilac, and enveloping sports eyebrows aluminum hilarious on both front and rear lights, but it did the trick, pushing sales up to a grave crisis Dyna experienced in 1959, and to help the company through a few years, about 130 000 PL17 17 and successor models were made by the time demand collapsed in the 1965 model year and Citroën end production.
Despite her debut in difficulty as a substitute for expensive new car Panhard wanted, the PL17 continued success in competition Panhard In 1961, three of these cars took the top three places overall on the Rallye Monte Carlo and PL17 s regularly took the honors of the house in the test fuel economy.
Panhard has again tried to develop a new model, but Citroen, which was finally planning a midsize car clean, decreed that the new Panhard 24 would be a two-door car only and again, the twin cylinder food should be sufficient for power.
Stylist Louis Bionier, whose work with Panhard started in the company's heyday of broad wings and decadent luxury, aesthetics reinvented one more time after work with Dyna and cut PL17 The 24 was a design surprisingly, timelessly elegant than in the hands of a company with deeper financial reserves and greater freedom could have been a great success.
The car appeared in spring 1963 as a 1964 model, and if it has been widely recognized for its appearance, handling and innovative interiors, he has never sold more than 6,000 examples a year Today, 24 s, in coupe and slightly extended sedan versions, are some of the most Panhard collection after the war.
Despite orders Citroën instead, Panhard had shot a 4-door version of 24, and a prototype was rumored to have been built but with Citroen works on his cars C-60 and F or project that never saw the daylight, a new midsize competitor Panhard was not what Bercot wanted cabriolet and wagon 24 were also in development, but never saw production.
The noose tightened the new Citroën Ami 6 was undercutting Panhard 17 at Citroën dealers Panhard, and cars like the Simca 1300 and 1500, Fiat 1300 and 1500, and Peugeot 404 have made it increasingly difficult to sell car relatively large, spacious 17 class prices with outdated body and a two-cylinder engine refused the opportunity to create a new car to the mass market or a new engine, Panhard is left with only 24 cuts, expensive cars to produce that was not enough to keep the business going Citroën, with mounting problems of his own, first directed all development work on 24 to stop and then, having previously assured that Jean Panhard mark is not dead, decided to stop production last Panhard passenger car, blue 24BT model, came off the line in July 1967 Thus ended the carri re the first passenger car manufacturer, the dean of supposedly Marqués world.
Panhard continued as a manufacturer of military vehicles, and the company survives today as part of the Panhard Auverland Corporation, which has a presence on the Web at.
The name also survives from an energetic group of collectors who appreciate the unique and undeniable historical importance of Panhard We restore, preserve, show and lead these wonderful vehicles in the streets of the world Some of us even our race and Panhard Panhard -Engined cars.
Panhard history in the United States was short, imported cars in small numbers 1950 to about 1962 through a variety of channels, including Citroen But Panhard have always been and are still very rare in the United States and our club seeks to bring the owners and Panhard lovers together to keep these cars on the road we hope you'll join us, if you own a Panhard or not.
Friends of Panhard, Panhard, front wheel drive, reach miles hour.
Rue Panhard, 78280 Guyancourt, Франция