Panhard & Levassor

Panhard & Levassor
Introductory year	1886
Products	Automobiles
Markets	Worldwide

Selection of Panhard & Levassor vehicles in front of the Palace of Versailles (1935)

Ambulance vehicles Panhard & Levassor ZUVIT before delivery (1934)

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

Panhard & Levassor P2D (1890)

Panhard & Levassor (1894)

Daimler engine of the Panhard & Levassor (1894)

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

Panhard & Levassor 15 CV Type O4R Tonneau. 4 cylinders, 3296 cm³, chain drive (1902)

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 & Levassor 10 CV 4 cyl. X19 (1914)

• 

  Panhard X 19 from the Schlumpf collection

• 

  Panhard & Levassor 12 CV 4 cyl. X31 (1921)

The time of the slide motors

Panhard & Levassor 30 CV 6 cyl. X18 (1912)

Panhard & Levassor 35 CV record car (1926)

Panhard & Levassor truck 1936

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

Commons : Panhard & Levassor  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• [1] Gérard Hartmann: Les Moteurs Panhard & Levassor. (French) (accessed July 23, 2017)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Bollée [Amédée], à toute vapeur! gazoline.net
2. ^ Messerschmidt: Paperback German locomotive factories . Wöhlert, 1977, pp. 218-221
3. ↑ Vermeylen: Panhard & Levassor. 2005, p. 18
4. ↑ Vermeylen: Panhard & Levassor. 2005, p. 22
5. ↑ Vermeylen: Panhard & Levassor. 2005, p. 30
6. ↑ Vermeylen: Panhard & Levassor. 2005, p. 31
7. ↑ Vermeylen: Panhard & Levassor. 2005, p. 34
8. ^ Greenleaf: Monopoly on Wheels: Henry Ford and the Selden Automobile Patent , p. 127
9. ^ Greenleaf: Monopoly on Wheels: Henry Ford and the Selden Automobile Patent , p. 132
10. ↑ ^{a b} Vermeylen: Panhard & Levassor. 2005, p. 36