Panhard Car Books - History and Models

Panhard & Levassor - Pioneers in Automobile Excellence

Panhard & Levassor was a ground-breaking company whose innovations set the standard for modern motoring. Not only was it the first company to produce a vehicle with an internal combustion engine mounted at the head of the chassis rather than under the driver's seat, the entire 'Panhard' layout of engine, gearbox, shaft drive to rigid rear axle, set the standard which is still used today.

Author David Beare follows the fortunes of the company and its two founders, the affable and portly Rene Panhard complementing the intelligent and somewhat haughty Emile Levassor.
From the late 1800s through the two world wars, they continued to produce revolutionary designs, including sleeve valves, monocoque chassis units and the new economy cars with air-cooled flat-twin engines and bodies and chassis made largely of aluminium.

As an important contributor to the design and performance of their subsequent road cars, Panhard & Levassor's pioneering competition successes in early road-racing in the period from 1894 to 1903 are also covered, when the company was at the forefront of motor-racing technology and won many races.
The story ends with the take-over of the company by Citroen, which ultimately absorbed the Panhard & Levassor creative genius into their own designs.

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Panhard & Levassor pionnier de l'industrie automobile (Collection Prestige)

In 1845, Jean-Louis Périn created a small workshop for manufacturing woodworking machines. He could never have imagined that his initiative would lead, less than half a century later, to a founding event of global significance: the birth of the automobile industry!

In 1889, his future partners, René Panhard and Emile Levassor, decided to design a motor car and market it in small series. They saw this as an excellent opportunity to promote the qualities of the petroleum engine created by the German Gottlieb Daimler, for whom their company had acquired the manufacturing license.
This project came to fruition with the construction of a prototype in 1890, the publication of an advertising catalogue in August 1891, and finally the delivery of the first car on October 30.

All the details of this incredible saga are told in this book, from the beginnings of Jean-Louis Périn's workshop to the outbreak of the Second World War, including an in-depth study of areas as varied as the expansion of the company, motor racing, commercial strategy, the valveless engine, the sale of cars for export (supported by very precise figures by country), the delivery of engines to Peugeot, the evolution of the ranges, military vehicles, including the incredible Châtillon-Panhard tractor with four-wheel drive and steering from 1912, aeronautics, marine engines, gasifiers and utility vehicles, among others.

There are even lists of famous customers with precise identification of their cars!

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Toutes les Panhard 1890-1967

Considered the fourth largest French manufacturer (after Renault, Peugeot and Citroën), Panhard is also the oldest automobile company in the world!
The one called the doyenne of brands, has been selling automobiles since 1891.

Panhard first built luxury and exclusive models and then popular cars in order to reach a wider clientele and meet post-war demand. But all these achievements have intelligence and technical innovation in common.
Unable to adapt its industrial tool, the company finally had to give up automobile production in 1967.

In this book, the author retraces, in a chronological manner, this entire epic by deciphering, year after year, the evolution of each model and by relating the history of the brand. The technical characteristics, known prices and production figures are also mentioned.
Finally, the reader will find a detailed chapter devoted to the different uses of the Panhard engine. Many period photos illustrate this book to take you on a journey into the Panhard universe...

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La grande histoire de la petite Dyna Panhard

A revolution! The word is not too strong to describe the Dyna, which appeared at the 1946 Paris Motor Show. Turning its back on the luxury cars with valveless engines that had long since become its specialty, Panhard offered here a popular, technically avant-garde car with front-wheel drive, air-cooled twin-cylinder engine and aluminum alloy body. In doing so, the manufacturer from Avenue d'Ivry was perfectly in line with the sales of the post-war market, drained but with limited means, and positioned itself as the designated rival of Régie Renault, whose popular 4 CV appeared at the same time. The first model of the brand produced in relatively large series, the Dyna is the starting point of a whole new generation of models that keep the same basic genes, and this until the last "24" of 1967. Hailed for its road qualities and its small engine that is both sober and responsive, it also marks the return of Panhard to competition after more than forty years of absence, with many victories to the key. Its particular style quickly makes it nicknamed "Louis XV", and the curious rattling noise emitted by its small twin-cylinder astonishes those who see it pass. All this makes the Dyna a car apart, that we love or hate, like all Panhards. The Dyna is definitely "something else"!

This book provides a definitive update on this model, based on a detailed analysis of over 47, 000 factory records, describing the specific characteristics of almost all models manufactured. Everything is reviewed: the genesis of the Dyna, its career, both commercial and sporting, in France and abroad, its many versions, from the four-door saloon to the Junior convertible, including the Dynavia and the Scarlette, the utility versions and the very many derivatives based on a bare factory chassis.
Everything is completed by tables and figures that provide precise information on the distribution of all versions, colours and options, and the number of cars exported to each country.

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La Panhard Dyna Z de mon père

This reference work traces the entire history and evolution of the Panhard Dyna. The technology and variants of the Dyna are described in detail.

This book is part of the series "La voiture de mon père" and contains numerous period documents, 230 often unpublished photos and the technical characteristics of the different models.

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