Lorraine Automobile Museum, Nancy, France
Until November 11th, 2024
Panhard (its full name is Panhard & Levassor, the names of the 2 founders) is often referred to as “the dean of brands”. It was founded in 1891, before Benz, Daimler or Peugeot. Unfortunately, unlike these other pioneers, the company’s car-building activity came to a halt in 1967, when it was taken over by Citroën. The Lorraine Automobile Museum pays tribute to this doyenne marque with an exhibition running until November 11 (when it closes for the winter period).
Although Panhard has lived 2 quite different lives, building luxury cars before the 39-45 war, then more popular cars after the war, the brand has always been renowned for its innovative character, which still wins it many fans today. For this exhibition, the pre-war period is represented by 2 emblematic models from the 1930s, the X72 “Panoramique” and the X76 “Dynamic”.
The X72 “Panoramique” takes its name from the small, curved side windows in the windshield extension, providing a wider view forward. The X76 “Dynamic” is an imposing sedan, immediately recognizable by its headlamps integrated into the front fenders and protected by a grille. This innovative layout would later become the standard for most other cars (but without the protective grille).
After the war, the time was more for reconstruction, resources were limited and Panhard concentrated on popular cars. The Dyna X was powered by a small 850 cm3 air-cooled flat-twin engine, but its aerodynamic styling and lightweight aluminum body ensured good performance. In 1955, the Dyna Z adopted a more modern and aerodynamic design, first car studied in a wind tunnel, and still fitted with the small engine. Dyna Panhard were available as sedans, convertibles, station wagons, vans and pick-ups. The Junior cabriolet was a great commercial success. The 1959 Dyna Z sedan sports elegant two-tone paintwork.
The PL-17, which succeeded the Dyna Z in 1959, was closely derived from it, but its lines were modernized. More than 160,000 PL-17s were produced between 1959 and 1965, in a variety of body styles. 2 sedans and a station wagon are on display.
The Panhard 24 launched in 1963 is the last model produced by Panhard. It’s an elegant coupe that embodies Panhard’s strong points: lightness, aerodynamics and good performance. Available as 24 CT (a 2+2 coupé) and 24 BT (a 4-seat coupé), a sedan was planned but never launched. In difficulty, Panhard was taken over by Citroën in part and then in full between 1955 and 1965, but Citroën did not seek to invest in developing a range that could have competed with its own models. The time was not yet ripe for a strategy of platforms and diversification.
The exhibition is completed by some rarer sports models. DB was a small-scale craftsman, designing lightweight cars such as the Panhard-powered HBR (1957) and Le Mans (1962), produced in small quantities. The CD launched in 1962 was the commercial version of the CD (Charles Deutsch) racing berlinettas (which took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans). Its light weight and highly aerodynamic bodywork gave it a top speed of 180 km/h in the sharpest version. But the car lacked comfort, and only 159 examples were produced before the end of the company.
The photos on this page belong to the Lorraine Automobile Museum, no right of reproduction without the express permission of the museum.