Panhard & Levassor

Established in 1889, Panhard & Levassor was the first automobile manufacturing company. Having acquired French rights to the Daimler engine, the engineers Panhard et Levassor built their first car in 1891. The last Panhard was the 24CT coupe launched in 1964. When Citroen took over Panhard in 1967, the factory was forced to stop making cars but the production of armored cars under the Panhard name still continues.

(text source and more info at Vintage European Automobiles)

Panhard emblem.

Panhard & Levassor PL logo.

Panhard & Levassor PL logo.

Panhard & Levassor sPLs logo.

Panhard & Levassor PL logo.

Dyna Panhard logo (1961).

1961 Panhard Saloon ad.

1899 Panhard-Levassor ad.

PANHARD & LEVASSOR EMBLEMS

Panhard emblem.

Panhard sPLs emblem.

PANHARD & LEVASSOR CARS

1907 Panhard & Levassor. by Joaquim Massana of Petit Comite).

1906 Panhard & Levassor.

1913 French Boat body on a Panhard-Levassor chassis

In 1913, the latest idea in the sporting type of motor car was the pure boat body, built on a 2O horse-power Panhard-Levassor chassis. The body is built up on ribs, carvel type, in exactly the same way as a boat, has its bilge rounded off at the point where it joins the chassis, and is made with a tumble-home stern. The most difficult feature for the boat builder was the design of the forward sections so that they would harmonize correctly with the bonnet without giving a cut-off appearance. Naturally the bonnet has been specially designed for the body, as is now done on all high-class European bodies. To preserve the harmony of the lines, no doors have been made, the shape thus being continuous from radiator cap to stern. The gasoline tank is placed amidships just behind the front seats. In this position it forms a partial deck and still further adds to the boat-like appearance of the body. Electric lights are fitted, the side lights being let in the scuttle dash and the head lights being of the ordinary type.

Except on the seats, there is no interior upholstery, the sides of the body, with the ribs and the riveting, being left exposed, as in the case of a boat.

Panhard & Levassor with a Daimler-Phoenix engine, Paris–Bordeaux–Paris race from June 11 to 14, 1895. Emile Levassor (at the wheel) and René Panhard were first to cross the finish line. They were only to receive second place, however, as the two-seater vehicle did not fully correspond to the specifications. The endurance race in which only the driving time was assessed was, after the Paris–Rouen reliability race of July 1894, the first car race as we understand it today. Photograph from 1895 via Mercedes-Benz.

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