In July 1967 the
last Panhard passenger car, a blue model 24BT, leaves the production
line. It ended the existence of the world’s first commercial
manufacturer of automobiles, selling 21 cars in 1891. The French
company Panhard & Levassor, later Panhard, established the
front-engine, rear-drive architecture used by most cars for many
decades. It was also one of the first carmakers to adopt front wheel
drive.
 |
| René Panhard |
 |
| Émile Levassor |
Panhard &
Levassor was founded as a car manufacturing company by René Panhard
and Émile Levassor in 1887. In 1891 Panhard & Levassor marketed
the first production car using a licensed Daimler engine. In 1892
Panhard & Levassor built the world's first front engined car with
clutch and transmission driving the rear wheels (Système Panhard).
 |
| First Panhard & Levassor with Daimler engine (1891) |
 |
| Panhard & Levassor (1892) |
 |
| Panhard & Levassor (1892) |
After the death of
Émile Levassor in 1897, Arthur Krebs becomes General Manager in
1897. He turned the Panhard & Levassor Company into one of the
largest and most profitable car manufacturers before World War I.
Between the two World Wars, Panhard & Levassor focused on the
luxury market. Most cars used sleeve-valve engines licensed from
Charles Yale Knight. The elegant Panoramique (Panhard CS RL-N) of
1934 featured three windshields (center and two at the sides for
“panoramic” visibility) and numerous mechanical innovations. The
last big Panhard & Levassor, before Wold War II, was the
streamlined Dynamic designed by Louis Bionier.
 |
| Panhard & Levassor Panoramique (x73) (1934) |
 |
| Panhard & Levassor Dynamic (1936) |
After World War II
the company was renamed Panhard and produced only light cars such as
the Dyna X, Dyna Z, PL 17, 24 CT and 24 BT, all with air-cooled
flat-twin engine. In 1965 Panhard was taken over by Citroën. In 1967
civil production ended.
 |
| Panhard Dyna X (120) |
 |
| Panhard Dyna Z |
 |
| Panhard PL17 |
 |
| Panhard 24CT |
 |
| Panhard 24BT |
