Panhard PL17 - 61

Panhard  

is  

a  

French  

manufacturer  

of  

light  

tactical  

and

military  

vehicles.  

Its  

current  

incarnation  

was  

formed  

by

the  

acquisition  

of  

Panhard  

by  

Auverland  

in  

2005.  

Panhard

had  

been  

under  

Citroën  

ownership,  

then  

PSA  

(after  

the

1974 Peugeot Citroën merger), for 40 years.

The    combined    company    now    uses    the    Panhard    name;    this    was    decided    based    on    studies indicating   that   the   Panhard   name   had   better   brand   recognition   worldwide   than   the   Auverland name.   Panhard   once   built   civilian   cars   but   ceased   production   of   those   in   1968.   Many   of   its military    products    however    end    up    on    the    civilian    market    via    third    sources    and    as military/government surplus vehicles. Panhard also built railbuses between the wars.

A glimpse of the History

Panhard   was   originally   called   Panhard   et   Levassor,   and   was   established   as   a   car   manufacturing concern by René Panhard and Émile Levassor in 1887.

Early Years

Panhard   et   Levassor   sold   their   first   automobile   in   1890.   based   on   a   Daimler   engine   license. Levassor   obtained   his   licence   from   Paris   lawyer   Edouard   Sarazin,   a   friend   and   representative   of Gottlieb   Daimler's   interests   in   France.   Following   Sarazin's   1887   death,   Daimler   commissioned Sarazin's   widow   Louise   to   carry   on   her   late   husband's   agency.   The   Panhard   et   Levassor   license was   finalised   by   Louise,   who   married   Levassor   in   1890.   Daimler   and   Levassor   became   fast friends, and shared improvements with one another. These   first   vehicles   set   many   modern   standards,   but   each   was   a   one-off   design.   They   used   a clutch   pedal   to   operate   a   chain-driven   gearbox.   The   vehicle   also   featured   a   front-mounted radiator.   An   1895   Panhard   et   Levassor   is   credited   with   the   first   modern   transmission.   For   the 1894   Paris–Rouen   Rally,   Alfred   Vacheron   equipped   his   4   horsepower   (3.0   kW;   4.1   PS)   with   a steering wheel, believed to be one of the earliest employments of the principle. In   1891,   the   company   built   its   first   all-Levassor   design,   a   "state   of   the   art"   model:   the   Systeme Panhard   consisted   of   four   wheels,   a   front-mounted   engine   with   rear   wheel   drive,   and   a   crude sliding-gear   transmission,   sold   at   3500   francs.   (It   would   remain   the   standard   until   Cadillac introduced   synchromesh   in   1928.)   This   was   to   become   the   standard   layout   for   automobiles   for most   of   the   next   century.   The   same   year,   Panhard   et   Levassor   shared   their   Daimler   engine license with bicycle maker Armand Peugeot, who formed his own car company. In    1895,    1,205    cc    (74    cu    in)    Panhard    et    Levassors    finished    first    and    second    in    the Paris–Bordeaux–Paris   race,   one   piloted   solo   by   Levassor,   for   48¾hr.   Arthur   Krebs   succeeded Levassor   as   General   Manager   in   1897,   and   held   the   job   until   1916.   He   turned   the   Panhard   et Levassor   Company   into   one   of   the   largest   and   most   profitable   manufacturer   of   automobiles before World War I. Panhards   won   numerous   races   from   1895   to   1903.   Panhard   et   Levassor   developed   the   Panhard rod, which became used in many other types of automobiles as well. From   1910   Panhard   worked   to   develop   engines   without   conventional   valves,   using   under   license the   sleeve   valve   technology   that   had   been   patented   by   the   American   Charles   Yale   Knight. Between    1910    and    1924    the    Panhard    &    Levassor    catalogue    listed    plenty    of    models    with conventional   valve   engines,   but   these   were   offered   alongside   cars   powered   by   sleeve   valve power    units.    Following    various    detailed    improvements    to    the    sleeve    valve    technology    by Panhard's   own   engineering   department,   from   1924   till   1940   all   Panhard   cars   used   sleeve   valve engines.

1961

Engine 851 cc 2 cylinders Power 42 HP Top Speed 130 km/h Lenght 4,57 m Widht 1,67 m Weight 805 kg The collections Panhard is in mint original condition. Ready for a spin.