Panhard & Levassor DS
The Panhard & Levassor DS is a four-door luxury sedan released by the French car manufacturer Panhard & Levassor in 1929. The letter S stands for the French word "surbaissé", which designates a frame that is lowered between the axles in order to achieve a lower vehicle height (low frame).
The model 6 DS initially produced had a valve-controlled 6-cylinder in-line engine with 3507 cm³ displacement, corresponding to 19 CV. There was a classic, 6-seater sedan with a long interior without a luggage compartment (see photo above left) and a 4-seater sedan with a shorter interior and a luggage compartment attached to the rear (Berline, see photo above right), as well as various coupé and convertible versions . In 1929 only 4 copies were made. By the time this model was replaced in 1932, there were a total of 509 pieces.
Parallel to this first model, there was a prototype 8 DS with the more powerful 8-cylinder in-line engine of the previous model 35 CV. This had 6350 cm³ displacement. In the following year, the series production of the 6-seater sedan with a slightly smaller engine of 5084 cm³ displacement (29 CV) started. From 1935 the car was simply called 8 cylindres . Of both versions, only 43 of this top model had been produced by 1938.
In 1932 the 6 DS was replaced by the 6 DS RL , whose engine had a displacement of 4080 cm³ (23 CV). RL stands for "roue libre" and describes a freewheel . The 6-seater long version was launched as the 6 DS RL2 . In 1932 only a prototype with the designation 6 DS 23 CV was produced, and series production only began the following year. From 1935 the car was simply called DS . Like its predecessor, it had 509 copies by the time the model was discontinued in 1938.
In 1934 the bodies were revised: The “Panoramique” versions, announced as a major improvement, had three-part windshields which, in addition to the now narrower main window, had two small windows in the area of the A-pillars. At the same time, these vehicles had a further enlarged engine with a displacement of 4783 cm³ (27 CV). The cars were sold as 6 DS RL-N Spécial . From 1935 they were simply called DS Spécial and 142 times had been built by 1937.
A DS à Gazogène was also created in 1934 . In this prototype, a gas generator known from commercial vehicle construction was attached to a 4-seater sedan . The wood gas was processed in an engine from the smaller model 6 CS with 2861 cm³ displacement (16 CV). In 1936 four more copies were made according to the same pattern. This DS Gazogène 19 CV had the engine of the DS Spécial model with 4783 cm³ (contrary to the designation 27 CV).
From 1937 the Panhard & Levassor Dynamic 160 replaced the DS series.
source
- Bernard Vermeylen: Panhard & Levassor entre tradition et modernité. ETAI publisher, Boulogne-Billancourt 2005, ISBN 2-7268-9406-2 .