The Panhard PL 17 is an automobile made by the French manufacturer Panhard from 1959 until 1965. Presented on 29 June 1959, as successor to the Panhard Dyna Z, the PL 17 was essentially a facelifted version of its predecessor. The initial four-door saloon (and pickup and van) was joined by the Cabriolet in 1961,[2] and by the Break,[2] a five-door estate version, in April 1963. The Break, developed by Italian company Pan Auto, sat on a longer wheelbase but was of the same overall length.
The model's name was derived from "PL" for "Panhard et Levassor" (the original full name of the company), with the "17" coming from the sum of 5+6+6, being 5 CV (fiscal horses, in the French power rating system) plus 6 for the car's six seats, plus 6 for the car's economy of 6L/100km (47mpg‑imp; 39mpg‑US). As the car was developed under close supervision by Citroën, it was also no coincidence that 17 is a lower number than that of the DS19.[3]
The two-door Cabriolet was first introduced in March 1960 and only available to customers in the United States. Not a runaway success, only 47 examples of this export-only model (internal code L2) were built.[4] A regularly available version for European customers was shown at the 1960 Paris Salon, becoming available in 1961 (L5). The trim level was equivalent to the top-of-the-line sedan, the Grand Standing model.[5] For the 1963 model year, the Cabriolet was updated with the new engine, becoming the L8 - 125 examples were built of this version. Never a strong seller, the convertible was discontinued later in 1963 and the production line used to build the new PL17 Break instead.
In 1961 the entire line received a minor facelift: the front doors were now hung from the front, rather than the original's "suicide doors", while the turn signals were moved from near the base of the A-pillar to new positions flanking the headlamps.
From the 1964 model year, the letters PL were dropped; this approximately coincided with the completed takeover the company by Citroën. [citation needed] Other names were lightly changed as well, with the addition of a "B" (for Berline) and "BT" for the Tigre model. The luxurious Grand Standing version was replaced by the "Relmax". The car also underwent a slight facelift, losing the chrome unibrow at the front.
Utilitaires
In October 1958, a pickup and van version of the Dyna Z called the "Dyna Z Commerciale D65" had been presented. "D65" reflects the 650kg (1,433lb) payload, initially a pickup or canvas-covered pickup were available. In April 1959 a panel van and a chassis cab were added. 1,735 examples were built in the model's ten-month career,[6] kept short since the Dyna Z was updated to the PL17 model within less than a year. Since the PL17 was essentially just a facelift, the D65 was updated with the new front treatment and went on sale simultaneously with the saloon. The bodystyles were the same as for the new Panhard F65 (model code WL1), with a glazed van model added to pricelists in July 1959.[7]
In November 1959, a lighter-duty model with a 500kg (1,102lb) payload was added. Called the F50, this model was created to avoid parking time restrictions in the newly introduced Zones Bleues ("Blue Zones") surrounding several major French cities. Priced nearly the same, the only discernible difference was slightly smaller tires for the F50 (model code WL2).[7] For 1961, the Utilitaires received the same cosmetic changes as did the rest of the range; the model codes were accordingly changed to WL3/WL4. The codes changed again for 1963 (WL6/WL7), when the modified, 848cc engine was introduced. For 1964 the range was again facelifted (less chrome and new, trapezoidal turn signals), but the model names were not altered.[6]
Technical specifications
1964 Panhard 17B Relmax in front of an earlier (1961–1963) PL17
Initially, the car continued to use the engines of the Dyna Z, both of 851cc. The standard one gave 42hp (31kW) (DIN), the "Tigre" gave 50hp (37kW) (DIN). The engines are twin-cylinder air-cooled "boxer" types, mounted with the gearbox at the rear and the two exhausts at the front. Beginning in July 1960, the engines decreased in capacity to 848cc (to suit tax limits at 850cc in many markets), with power remaining as before. SAE horsepower claims were 50hp (37kW), and 60hp (45kW), respectively.
The front wheels are driven through a four-speed gearbox with column shift, with synchromesh on the upper three gears. Suspension at the front is provided by two transverse leaf springs, and at the back by three torsion bars each side.
The standard car weighs approximately 805kg (1,775lb), and the Tigre 830kg (1,830lb). This light weight combined with the car's streamlining (with a coefficient of drag said to be Cd0.26) [citation needed] allows for top speeds of 130 kilometres per hour (81mph) for standard sedans and 145 kilometres per hour (90mph) for the Tigre.
It is possible to remove the back bench to enlarge the already considerable luggage space to 527 litres (18.6cuft). This space was available from model year 1964, when the spare wheel was moved from beneath the luggage space to under the bonnet, where it fits around the air filter. This is possible because the wheels have no centre — that is formed by the finned aluminum brake drums.
Sales
The Panhard saloons produced after the Citroën take-over were not priced aggressively. In 1962, there were five different versions of the PL 17 offering 42hp (31kW) or 50hp (37kW) of maximum power and priced in France at between 6,990 and 8,240 francs for the standard sedan bodied versions.[8] The similarly sized Simca Aronde came with power outputs ranging between 42hp (31kW) and 70hp (51kW), priced between 6,340 and 7,450 francs.[8] The Panhard was a little longer and a little wider, leaving dealers trying to explain why an 850cc Panhard should cost more than a 1300cc Simca. Panhard connoisseurs, including many taxi owners, appreciated the PL 17's superior road holding and fuel economy, as well as the extra space afforded by the Panhard's greater cabin width.[8] Less pleasing were the awkward gear box, still without synchromesh on the bottom ratio, and the steering which was heavy at low speeds.[8] Performance, especially for the top of the range 50hp (37kW) "PL 17 Tigre" was helped by the Panhard's lighter body, although the extent of Panhard's weight advantage had been reduced over the previous decade as aluminium had become more expensive and light metal panels had been substituted for some of the steel ones. Pricing issues may explain why PL 17 sales levels were too low to enable the model to reach the volumes of the Aronde.
The Break model (L9) was developed by Pan Auto in Trento, Italy, with the idea of assembling it locally.[9] It sat on a longer wheelbase but was of the same overall length.[3] The original prototype received different front treatment of a more conventional design, with two large headlamps flanking a planar grille with horizontal ribbons.[9] The taillights were borrowed from the contemporary Fiat 1800.[7] Production ended up taking place in France, where it replaced the Cabriolet on the lines beginning in May 1963. The PL17 Break was built in small numbers, with 2,998 examples being produced overall.
Overall, around 166,000 PL 17s were built. Of these, 136,000 were regular-engined sedans, with an additional 23,500 sedans with the Tigre engine. 398 convertibles (it is unknown if this includes the 47 L3 cabriolets built for the US in 1960), 2,998 Breaks, and 3,191 Utilitaires (commercial models) were also built.[4]
A sporting two-door coupé with a fibreglass body on Dyna Z basis was built from 1956 by Arista as the Passy and later also Sport, with the Tigre engine. For 1963, a new design based on the PL 17, called the Arista JD (after its designer, Jacques Durand; it was also called the Arista Sport and Sport Spécial), appeared. While lighter and faster than a regular PL17, the rather expensive Arista did not find many buyers and only six examples were built.[10]
Motor sport
In 1961, a Panhard PL 17 won the Monte Carlo Rally.[11] Evidence that this was no mere fluke came from the PL 17s that took second and third places, showing that a lightweight car with an 850cc engine could be more than a match for heavier cars with more muscular power units.
In 1955, Citroën had acquired a minority 25% interest in Panhard, and ten years later, in 1965, Panhard's automobile division was finally absorbed by Citroën: the company ceased production of the PL 17 in the same year. The 24 model carried the manufacturer's name for two years more, and from then only military transport was badged with the Panhard name, the military division being the part of the business still not owned by Citroën.
Panhard PL 17 Cabriolet
Panhard PL 17 Break
Panhard F65 glazed van
Related Research Articles
Deutsch-Bonnet (DB), is a brand of sports cars created in 1937 by Charles Deutsch and René Bonnet and disappeared in 1962.
Panhard was a French motor vehicle manufacturer that began as one of the first makers of automobiles. It was a manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its final incarnation, now owned by Renault Trucks Defense, was formed by the acquisition of Panhard by Auverland in 2005, and then by Renault in 2012. In 2018 Renault Trucks Defense, ACMAT and Panhard combined under a single brand, Arquus.
The Peugeot 504 is a mid-size, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive automobile manufactured and marketed by Peugeot from 1968 to 1983 over a single generation, primarily in four-door sedan and wagon configurations – but also as twin two-door coupé and cabriolet configurations as well as pickup truck variants.
The Mazda Familia, also marketed prominently as the Mazda 323, Mazda Protegé and Mazda Allegro, is a small family car that was manufactured by Mazda between 1963 and 2003. The Familia line was replaced by the Mazda3/Axela for 2004.
The Arista was a French automobile with a fiberglass body, produced in Paris from 1952 to 1967.
The Peugeot 403 is a mid-size car manufactured and marketed by Peugeot between May 1955 and October 1966. A total of 1,214,121 of all types, including commercial models, were produced, making it the first Peugeot to exceed one million in sales.
The Panhard Dyna Z is a lightweight motor car produced by Panhard of France from 1954 to 1959. It was first presented to the press at a Paris restaurant named Les Ambassadeurs on 17 June 1953 and entered production the following year. In 1959, it was replaced by the Panhard PL 17.
The Fiat Fiorino is a small commercial vehicle produced by the Italian car manufacturer Fiat since 1977. Its first two generations have been the panel van derivatives of other small models, such as the Fiat 127 and Fiat Uno, while the current third generation was developed jointly with PSA Peugeot Citroën, and is based on the Fiat Small platform.
The Peugeot 207 is a supermini car (B) that was designed and produced by the French automaker Peugeot from 2006 to 2014. It was presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 2006, and entered production in April 2006, as the successor to the Peugeot 206. It shares the same platform with the Citroën C3.
The Peugeot 304 is a small family car manufactured and marketed by the French manufacturer Peugeot from 1969 to 1980.
The Toyota Publica is a small car manufactured by the Japanese company Toyota from 1961 until 1978. Conceived as a family car to fulfill the requirements of the Japanese Government's "national car concept", it was the smallest Toyota car during that period and was superseded in that role by the Toyota Starlet, which itself started out as a version of the Publica. It was available as a 2-door vehicle only, but in a selection of body styles, ranging from the base sedan through a station wagon, convertible, coupé and even a coupe utility (pickup), which outlived the other models by a decade, and spawned other models, such as the Toyota Sports 800 and the Toyota MiniAce.
The Panhard Dyna X was a lightweight berline produced by the French manufacturer Panhard from 1948 to 1954. It was designed by the engineer Jean Albert Grégoire and first exhibited as the AFG (Aluminium Français Grégoire) Dyna at the Paris Motor Show in October 1946.
The Panhard 24 is a compact two-door coupé automobile produced between 1964 and 1967 by French manufacturer Panhard. It was powered by a front-mounted air-cooled two-cylinder boxer motor: the basic design of this unconventional engine dated back to the 1940s. In 1965, a lengthened Panhard 24 was launched and promoted as a two-door four- or five-seat saloon. Plans for a four-door version which might have enabled the car more effectively to replace the commercially successful Panhard PL 17 saloon were never implemented, however.
The HBR 5 model (1954–1959) was Deutsch and Bonnet's (DB) most successful project to date, with several hundred of the cars produced until 1959. Another small series of lowered and lightened cars called "Super Rallye" occurred in 1960 and 1961. Around 660 of the Mille Miles, Coach, and HBR 4/5s were built in total. Other sources account for 950 DB coupés, of which nearly all would be HBRs and their Frua-designed predecessors.
Jacques Durand was a French engineer, model builder and automobile designer. He is primarily known for designing several sports cars, which were built in small volumes in France beginning in the 1950s and continuing into the 1990s.
The Panhard CD is a car designed by Charles Deutsch and built by Panhard from 1963 to 1965. The CD was named for Deutsch and is considered a continuation of the line of Panhard-powered vehicles built by Deutsch-Bonnet. The car was the production version of the CD Dyna that raced at Le Mans in June 1962.
The Panhard Dyna Junior is a small sports car built by Panhard from 1952 until 1956. The car was initially offered as a roadster and later as a cabriolet. Slightly over 4,700 were built.
The Sera is a small sports car built in France from 1959 to 1961. A few cars were also built in Spain.
Louis Bionier (1898–1973) was a French automotive engineer. He is best known as head of chassis development and chief stylist for carbuilder Panhard. He was also involved in the design of some of Panhard's military vehicles.
Pichon-Parat was a French carrosserie based in the commune of Sens, in the department of Yonne. Established in 1952, it was known for producing custom cabriolet, coupé, estate car, and shooting brake conversions of established models from major automakers, and for building their own distinctive sporting models with completely original bodywork.
References
↑ G.N. Georgano, G.N. (1968). The Complete Encyclopaedia of Motorcars 1885 - 1968. London: Ebury Press.
1 2 3 4 "Automobilia". Toutes les voitures françaises 1962 (Salon Paris oct 1961). 19. Paris: Histoire & collections: 37. 2001.
1 2 "Le straniere montate in Italia" [The Italian-assembled foreigners], Galleria Ruoteclassiche, Le fuoriserie 1956-1970. Il meglio di Quattroruote (in Italian), 4: 1962-1963 (57), Editoriale Domus S.p.A. (published May 2013): 66, December 1962, ISBN9788872127704
↑ "Rückblick: Französische Revolution vor 40 Jahren...". Auto Motor u. Sport. Heft. 4 2001: Seite 170. 7 February 2001.
External links
Media related to Panhard PL17 at Wikimedia Commons
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
