Panhard models

Panhard was one of the first car makers in the world. René Panhard and Émile Levassor, together with the Belgian lawyer Edouard Sarazin, established Panhard et Levassor in France in 1887, and in 1890 the company sold its first automobile, built with an engine made under a Daimler licence. In 1891 came the Système Panhard, with a front-mounted engine driving the rear wheels.

After the Second World War Panhard built small cars with air-cooled flat-twin engines. The Dyna X was followed by the Dyna Z, whose aluminium body gave way to steel in 1955, then the PL 17 and the Panhard 24 coupé and saloon of 1963–1967. Michelin gained full control of the civilian business in 1965, and Citroën absorbed it in 1967, when the last Panhard passenger car was built and the marque was retired. From 1968 Panhard made only armoured vehicles, and in 2012 it was acquired by Renault Trucks Defense. See also Citroën and classic cars.