Panhard & Levassor
Panhard & Levassor | |
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Introductory year | 1886 |
Products | Automobiles |
Markets | Worldwide |
Panhard & Levassor is one of the oldest automobile manufacturers in the world and was founded in Paris in 1886 . The company gained special attention from its vehicles with Knight - shift motors ( Moteur sans soupapes ) and the invention of the track bar .
The passenger car production by Panhard ended in 1967 with the model Panhard 24 . After that, the company only produced military vehicles. Today Panhard & Levassor is part of the PSA group .
Early history
In Paris , in 1846 , Jean-Louis Périn founded a company for the manufacture of woodworking machines, in which the young René Panhard was accepted in 1867 ; the company was now called Périn & Cie. With Émile Levassor , another engineer was brought into the company in 1872. This took over part of the business shares Périns; the company name was changed to Périn, Panhard & Cie. changed. Panhard was now the main owner and the following year the company moved to new premises on Avenue d'Ivry in the 13th arrondissement of Paris . In addition to woodworking machines, it also built its own gas engines between 1875 and 1879. When Périn died in 1886, Panhard and Levassor took over his shares; from then on the company operated under the name Panhard & Levassor . Friendly relations of family Levassor to Gottlieb Daimler led to a license of Daimler - V-engine from 1890. At the same time came at Panhard's first automobile of France . The P2D model had the aforementioned engine installed in the middle of the vehicle and offered space for four passengers who sat back to back ( French dos-à-dos ).
"Panhard System"
The first car with a front engine followed a year later . About chains were rear wheels driven. With this type, an automobile was realized for the first time in the classic arrangement with radiator , engine and gearbox at the front and drive at the rear . This arrangement developed by Levassor was widely used as Système Panhard . It is based on the findings of Amédée-Ernest Bollée (1844–1917), which he first used in 1878 in the La Mancelle (1878–1880) steam car , but still without a gearbox.
This model, called Panhard P2D , is also considered to be the first mass -produced car with a combustion engine; the first ever was probably the La Mancelle , or its German license replica, the Wöhlert-Bollée steam trolley (1880–1881).
Nevertheless, the manufacturer is considered to be the founder of the automotive industry. Small series production of the P2D began in 1891 and the first 5 vehicles went to customers. It was the very first gasoline-powered automobile to be sold to an end customer. The first car sold by Benz, however, went to a dealer ( Émile Roger in Paris) and was never actually put into operation. Brought to Paris by train, it was assembled there and - according to Benz's biography - gathered dust in a corner there. The first petrol-powered omnibus was also built on a P2D basis in 1894, and a larger type on the same basis was added to it in 1895, as well as an open car (type M2 K or A). The first closed delivery van was also built on a P2D basis with an extended chassis, which marked the beginning of truck production. In 1896 an even larger van based on the M2 was manufactured. In 1897, the M4 type, an even larger truck and bus, was offered and sold. In that year, another invention also found its way into vehicles: instead of the "cow-tail steering", a steering wheel with an inclined steering column could be ordered. This, too, was an invention by Panhard, as previously only vertical steering columns with steering wheels were known, which were known from railway construction for locking brakes.
Other pioneering acts were the invention of the closed gearbox, the printing of a color brochure for a vehicle that was built and sold in series and first place in a “real” automobile race in 1895 from Paris to Bordeaux and back. These pioneering deeds were probably also made possible by the fact that the co-owner and chief engineer Émile Levassor was in close contact with Gottlieb Daimler until his death and the two advised each other. This is likely to have been the first “ joint venture ” on European soil.
Luxury cars, boat and aircraft engines
As a result, a wide variety of cars and trucks, as well as buses and racing vehicles, were built. Until 1902 engines were used under license from Daimler with the designation Phénix . They were then replaced by the Centaure or Centaure allégé . Available were side-valve two-, three-, four- and six-cylinder in-line engines. They were installed in the front of the vehicle or under the floor . The up to 125 CV engines were also used as boat and aircraft engines. Production manager was Émile Mayade (1853–1898). In April 1897 Émile Levassor died and the company was converted into a stock corporation, in which the Panhard family no longer held the majority. René Panhard was initially the sole managing director, Levassor's successor as technical director was Arthur Constantin Krebs (1850-1935). The majority shareholder was Adolphe Clément (1855–1928), who owned his own vehicle factories and the production license for Dunlop tires in France.
The company was still in a dispute with Levassor's widow over refunds from engine patents for a long time. René Panhard was reprimanded by the board for his position in this conflict and he resigned that same year. Arthur Krebs was appointed managing director, who held this position until 1916 and at the same time remained chief engineer. In 1899 the first engine brochure appeared, which mainly contained power generators , stationary , pump and boat engines . Most of the products offered there were derived from automobile engines and were therefore based on Daimler patents. Engine construction developed into a mainstay of the company that was almost as important as vehicle construction.
In 1902, Krebs received a patent for an automatic carburetor. Panhard & Levassor profited from this to a large extent both through more economical and at the same time more powerful engines and license income. The company was now a full-range supplier in the automotive sector, covering all market segments above the Voiturette and offering no fewer than 15 models with 5, 7, 10, 13, 16, 20 and 30 CV in the catalog, plus two racing cars with 24 and 50 CV, which were not listed in it. This diversity was also due to the changeover from Phénix to Centaure engines and the resulting duplications. Panhard & Levassor was one of the more expensive brands in their respective market segments.
The following year, a new, angular cooler was introduced. The company flourished. In 1903 Panhard & Levassor sold 17,107 automobiles in France. The USA became an important export market with 6,551, mostly high-priced vehicles. The company set up an office in New York City . However, it soon had to grapple with an unpleasant problem: The ALAM ( Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers , an influential industry association) sued the Ford Motor Company as a domestic car manufacturer and Panhard & Levassor as a renowned manufacturer of imported vehicles for infringement of the Selden patent , which was issued at the end of 1895. According to this universal patent, all vehicles with combustion engines sold in the USA were subject to license and the ALAM monitored compliance with them. In addition to the ongoing trial with Levassor's widow, this was a second major trial. Because of this, Krebs stayed in the United States for several weeks and testified as a witness. The process ended with a settlement and the patent remained valid until 1912, but in the end in a very restricted form.
Around 1904, vehicles and engines generated 92% of Panhard & Levassor's sales. The remainder was generated by mechanical engineering, especially in the traditional wood industry . That year Panhard & Levassor opened another 6000 m² factory in Reims .
The Levassor dispute did not end until 1914 with a settlement and substantial compensation payments.
Panhard X 19 from the Schlumpf collection
The time of the slide motors
In 1910 Panhard & Levassor used a 4.4-liter four-cylinder valve engine based on the patents of Charles Yale Knight for the first time, initially only in a passenger car. The first 6-cylinder engine based on this system appeared in 1912, and from 1913 valve engines were also installed in commercial vehicles. In 1923 the engines "sans Soupapes" (without valves) - also as an eight-cylinder in-line engine - replaced all side-controlled engines. They became the hallmark of Panhard & Levassor vehicles until the end of World War II .
From 1925 commercial vehicles with wood gasification systems were also offered, and from 1929 also those with natural gas drive . The diesel engine - also based on the Knight principle - was introduced in 1931. These engines with up to 12 cylinders were also used in military vehicles, which the company increasingly offered.
From 1929 a new series of luxurious six- and eight-cylinder cars was launched under the model designations 6 CS / 6 DS / 8 DS , which replaced the old cars named after their engine size. The culmination point was the Dynamic , which was offered from 1936 and was built with its streamlined body until 1940.
After the Second World War, Panhard & Levassor did not take up the production of the technically complicated and therefore expensive and susceptible valve motors, but instead manufactured a number of trucks and military vehicles under the name Panhard small cars with boxer engines.
Car models
Engine types
At Panhard & Levassor, engine designations are made up of 1–3 letters, the number of cylinders and another 1–2 digits (e.g. P2D or SK6D8). Here mean:
- P - Daimler system
- M - Phénix
- O - Centaure
- S, T, U, V, W, Z, LU, SU, TU, ZZ - Centaure allégé
- K, RK, SBK, SCK, SK - slide motors, system Knight
Chassis types
The chassis designations provide information about the type of drive and use of the car:
- A - J, L - U, Y - Chassis with chain drive
- X - Chassis with cardan drive
- K - commercial vehicle
Valve Operated Models (1890-1922)
Type | Construction period | Engine designation | chassis | Displacement | number of pieces |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2/ 2 1 / 2 / 3 1 / 3 / 3 3 / 4 CV | 1890-1896 | P2D / 2 cyl. | 921-1290 cc | 180 | |
1 1 ⁄ 2 CV | 1891-1893 | P2C / 2 cyl. | 817 cc | 15th | |
1 CV | 1895 | M2A / 2 cyl. | 352 cc | 1 | |
4/5 CV | 1895-1902 | M2E / 2 cyl. | A1 / A2 | 1201 cc | 371 |
10 CV | 1895-1897 | M2K / 2 cyl. | 4254 cc | 2 | |
6/7 CV | 1896-1902 | M2F / 2 cyl. | A1 / A2 | 1648 cc | 992 |
8/10 CV | 1896-1902 | M4E / 4 cyl. | B1 / B2 | 2402 cc | 769 |
prototype | 1897 | M1E / 1 cyl. | 600 cc | 1 | |
12 CV | 1897-1902 | M4F / 4 cyl. | B1 / B2 | 3296 cc | 514 |
16 CV | 1899-1902 | M4I / 4 cyl. | 4387 cc | 52 | |
16/18 CV | 1901-1904 | O4F / 4 cyl. | E / F | 4072 cc | 188 |
30/35 CV | 1901-1903 | O4L / 4 cyl. | G | 6898 cc | 27 |
5 CV | 1902 | O2E / 2 cyl. | A. | 1201 cc | 14th |
7 CV | 1902-1905 | O2R / 2 cyl. | A / D / N | 1648 cc | 583 |
10 CV | 1902-1905 | O4E / 4 cyl. | B / E | 2402 cc | 791 |
15 CV | 1902-1905 | O4R / 4 cyl. | C / H | 3296 cc | 731 |
20/24 CV | 1902-1905 | O4I / 4 cyl. | F / H | 5313 cc | 176 |
24 CV | 1902-1903 | O²4I / 4 cyl. | L (racing car) | 5313 cc | 11 |
50/60 CV | 1902-1903 | O²4M / 4 cyl. | M (racing car) | 8620 cc | 12 |
8 CV | 1903-1909 | S3E / 3 cyl. | P | 1801 cc | 649 |
70 CV | 1903-1904 | S²4M / 4 cyl. | R (racing car) | 13672 cc | 16 |
10 CV | 1904-1907 | S4E / 4 cyl. | S. | 2402 cc | 29 |
15 CV | 1904-1907 | S4R / 4 cyl. | I / J / S | 3296 cc | 896 |
18 CV | 1904-1907 | S4F / 4 cyl. | J | 4072 cc | 471 |
35 CV | 1904-1905 | O²4L / 4 cyl. | G | 7450 cc | 24 |
24 CV | 1905-1906 | S4I / 4 cyl. | Y / O | 5313 cc | 260 |
35 CV | 1905-1906 | S4L / 4 cyl. | O | 6898 cc | 59 |
50 CV | 1905-1909 | Z4O / 4 cyl. | Q | 10560 cc | 108 |
24 CV | 1906-1908 | Z4I / 4 cyl. | U1 | 5313 cc | 774 |
35 CV | 1906-1909 | Z4L / 4 cyl. | U1 | 7360 cc | 335 |
15 CV | 1907-1912 | T4R / 4 cyl. | U2 / U7 / X / X4 / X11 | 3296 cc | 777 |
18 CV | 1907-1913 | T4F / 4 cyl. | U2 / U6 / X1 / X12 | 4072 cc | 1715 |
24/25 CV | 1907-1914 | T4I / 4 cyl. | K / U1 / U3 / U10 | 5313 cc | 472 |
10 CV | 1908-1910 | T4E / 4 cyl. | X | 2402 cc | 105 |
65 CV | 1908-1910 | T²6S / 6 cyl. | U4 | 12020 cm³ | 15th |
120 CV | 1908 | T³4V / 4 cyl. | race car | 12800 cc | 3 |
8 CV | 1909-1912 | U2E / 2 cyl. | X2 / X6 | 1201 cc | 248 |
12 CV | 1909-1912 | U4E / 4 cyl. | X5 | 2402 cc | 1422 |
24 CV | 1909-1910 | W6R / 6 cyl. | U5 | 4950 cc | 26th |
24/25/30 CV | 1909-1916 | V6R / 6 cyl. | U8 / X3 / X13 | 4950 cc | 170 |
28/35 CV | 1910-1915 | V6F / 6 cyl. | Y | 6597 cc | 59 |
35 CV | 1910 | T4L / 4 cyl. | U1 | 7360 cc | 18th |
50 CV | 1910 | ZZ4O / 4 cyl. | Q | 10560 cc | 1 |
12 CV | 1911-1914 | LU4E / 4 cyl. | X10 / X16 | 2402 cc | 1169 |
18 CV | 1911-1912 | U6E / 6 cyl. | X8 / X15 | 3603 cc | 125 |
10 CV | 1912-1921 | SU4E / 4 cyl. | X19 | 2150 cc | 3020 |
12 CV | 1913-1914 | LU4E2 / 4 cyl. | X20 | 2402 cc | 701 |
12 CV | 1914-1918 | SU4E / 4 cyl. | X25 | 2815 cc | 881 |
7 CV | 1915 | TU4C / 4 cyl. | X27 | 1243 cc | 1 |
12 CV | 1920-1922 | SU4D2 / 4 cyl. | X31 | 2275 cc | 1376 |
Models with slide motors (1910-1940)
Type | Construction period | Engine designation | chassis | Displacement | number of pieces |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
20 CV | 1910-1915 | K4F / 4 cyl. | U9 / X7 / X9 / X14 | 4398 cc | 1288 |
15 CV | 1912-1915 | SK4E / 4 cyl. | X17 / X21 | 2614 cc | 752 |
30 CV | 1912-1914 | RK6F / 6 cyl. | X18 | 6597 cc | 30th |
20 CV | 1913-1917 | SBK4F / 4 cyl. | X22 | 4845 cc | 100 |
20 CV | 1913-1922 | SK4F / 4 cyl. | X23 / X29 / X34 | 4845 cc | 1012 |
35 CV | 1913-1919 | SK4L / 4 cyl. | X24 | 7360 cc | 73 |
16 CV | 1914-1929 | SK4E2 / 4 cyl. | X26 / X28 / X36 / X40 / X46 | 3175 cc | 7141 |
6 CV | 1917 | K4C / 4 cyl. | X30 | 1110 cc | 1 |
7 CV | 1920-1921 | K4C2 / 4 cyl. | X32 | 1190 cc | 6th |
10 CV | 1921-1924 | SK4C / 4 cyl. | X37 | 1190 cc | 1392 |
16 CV | 1921-1922 | SK4E3 / 4 cyl. | X33 | 3175 cc | 72 |
35 CV | 1921-1930 | SK8E / 8 cyl. | X38 / X42 / X54 | 6350 cc | 242 |
12 CV | 1922-1930 | SK4D / 4 cyl. | X39 / X43 / X45 | 2297 cc | 3506 |
20 CV | 1922-1929 | SK4F2 / 4 cyl. | X35 / X41 / X48 / X53 | 4845 cc | 830 |
10 CV | 1924-1925 | SK4C3 / 4 cyl. | X44 | 1390 cm³ | 776 |
10 CV | 1924-1929 | SK4C4 / 4 cyl. | X47 / X60 | 1480 cc | 4016 |
15 CV | 1924 | SK4D2 / 4 cyl. | X50 | 2612 cc | 1 |
20 CV | 1924-1927 | SK4F5 / 4 cyl. | X49 | 4845 cc | 242 |
20 CV | 1924/1928 | SK4E4 / 4 cyl. | X51 / X62 | 3564 cc | 2 |
10 CV | 1925-1926 | SK4 ?? / 4 cyl. | X52 | 1654 cc | 2 |
10 CV | 1925-1926 | SK4 ?? / 4 cyl. | X55 | 1650 cc | 2 |
16 CV | 1926-1931 | SK6D / 6 cyl. | X57 | 3445 cc | 657 |
10 CV | 1927-1930 | SK6C2 / 6 cyl. | X59 | 1829 cc | 636 |
12 CV | 1927 | | X58 | 2297 cc | 1 | |
20 CV | 1927-1930 | SK4F6 / 4 cyl. | X56 | 5319 cc | 76 |
11 CV | 1928 | SK6 ?? / 4 cyl. | X64 | 1970 cc | 1 |
12 CV | 1928 | SK6C3 / 6 cyl. | X61 | 2170 cc | 8th |
12 CV | 1928-1931 | SK6C4 / 6 cyl. | X63 | 2344 cc | 1629 |
11 CV | 1929 | SK4C10 / 4 cyl. | X65 | 2002 cc | 1 |
6 DS | 1929-1932 | SK6D6 / 6 cyl. | X66 | 3507 cc | 509 |
8 DS (prototype) | 1929 | SK8E / 8 cyl. | X67 | 6350 cc | 1 |
8 DS / 8 cylindres | 1930-1938 | SK8D / 8 cyl. | X67 | 5084 cc | 43 |
6 CS | 1930-1932 | SK6C4 / 6 cyl. | X68 | 2344 cc | 1028 |
6 CS Spécial | 1930-1933 | SK6C5 / 6 cyl. | X69 | 2516 cc | 1310 |
6 CS RL / CS | 1932-1936 | SK6C5 / 6 cyl. | X72 | 2516 cc | 2173 |
6 DS RL / DS 23 CV / DS | 1932-1938 | SK6D7 / 6 cyl. | X70 / X71 | 4080 cc | 509 |
CS Spécial | 1934-1938 | SK6C7 / 6 cyl. | X73 | 2861 cc | 1535 |
6 DS RL N Spécial / DS Spécial | 1934-1937 | SK6D8 / 6 cyl. | X74 | 4783 cc | 142 |
DS Gazogène | 1934 | SK6C7G / 6 cyl. | X75 | 2861 cc | 1 |
Dynamic 130 | 1936-1938 | SK6C8 / 6 cyl. | X76 | 2516 cc | 358 |
Dynamic 140 | 1936-1940 | SK6C9 / 6 cyl. | X77 / X81 | 2861 cc | 2230 |
Dynamic 20 CV | 1936 | SK6 ?? / 6 cyl. | X78 | 3485 cc | 1 |
DS Gazogène 19 CV | 1936 | SK6D8 / 6 cyl. | X79 | 4783 cc | 4th |
Dynamic 160 | 1937-1938 | SK6C10 / 6 cyl. | X80 / X82 | 3834 cc | 153 |
literature
- Bernard Vermeylen: Panhard & Levassor. Entre tradition et modernité . ETAI, Boulogne-Billancourt 2005, ISBN 2-7268-9406-2 .
- Reinhard Seiffert: The Gottlieb Daimler era: New perspectives on the early history of the automobile and its technology. Vieweg + Teubner, 2009; ISBN 3-8348-0962-4 .
- Jacques Rousseau: Guide de l'Automobile française. Éditions Solar, Paris (1988); ISBN 2-263-01105-6 .
- William Greenleaf: Monopoly on Wheels: Henry Ford and the Selden Automobile Patent , Great Lakes Books / Wayne State University Press, 2011 (first edition 1955); ISBN 0-8143-3512-8 .
- Ferdinand Hediger: Classic Cars 1919–1939. Hallwag-Verlag Ostfildern, July 1998; ISBN 3-444-10348-4 .
- George Nick Georgano (Ed.): Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present. Dutton Press, New York, 2nd Edition, 1973; ISBN 0-525-08351-0 .
- GN Georgano (Ed.), G. Marshall Naul: Complete Encyclopedia of Commercial Vehicles. MBI Motor Books International, Osceola WI, 1979; ISBN 0-87341-024-6 .
- Halwart Schrader , Jan P. Norbye: The truck lexicon. All brands 1900 to today. Schrader Verlag, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 978-3-613-01837-2
- Thomas Ulrich: Paris-Madrid: The greatest race of all time , Monsenstein & Vannerdat (2nd edition, December 6, 2013), ISBN 3-942153-14-9 , ISBN 978-3-942153-14-0
- B. von Lengerke: Automobile races and competitions (1894–1907), Fachbuchverlag-Dresden, 1st edition (April 25, 2014), facsimile of a work from 1908 (Richard Carl Schmidt & Co., Berlin); ISBN 3-95692-272-7 , ISBN 978-3-95692-272-5
Web links
- [1] Gérard Hartmann: Les Moteurs Panhard & Levassor. (French) (accessed July 23, 2017)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bollée [Amédée], à toute vapeur! gazoline.net
- ^ Messerschmidt: Paperback German locomotive factories . Wöhlert, 1977, pp. 218-221
- ↑ Vermeylen: Panhard & Levassor. 2005, p. 18
- ↑ Vermeylen: Panhard & Levassor. 2005, p. 22
- ↑ Vermeylen: Panhard & Levassor. 2005, p. 30
- ↑ Vermeylen: Panhard & Levassor. 2005, p. 31
- ↑ Vermeylen: Panhard & Levassor. 2005, p. 34
- ^ Greenleaf: Monopoly on Wheels: Henry Ford and the Selden Automobile Patent , p. 127
- ^ Greenleaf: Monopoly on Wheels: Henry Ford and the Selden Automobile Patent , p. 132
- ↑ a b Vermeylen: Panhard & Levassor. 2005, p. 36