Yahoo Autos This French Car Had Twice the Power of a VW Beetle From a Two-Cylinder Engine
Following the Paris Motor Show, what better way to start the week than with a French car created by one of the oldest and most innovative names in the business? Meet Jay Leno's 1960 Panhard PL 17. It's got an air-cooled pancake engine, but it's no Volkswagen.
Panhard built its first cars in the 1890s, and continued its business as a luxury (and military) manufacturer all the way until the Second World War. After that, economic conditions forced all European brands to come up with something cheaper for the masses.
Panhard's best economy car, the PL 17, debuted in 1959. The Tigre version produced more than 60 horsepower thanks to its air-cooled, front-mounted flat-twin engine with hemispheric heads and a roller-bearing crank. From 850cc, you got a top speed of almost 100 mph and 40 miles per gallon. Being a front-wheel drive car, the PL 17 could also seat six in relative comfort, with (you guessed it) a Panhard-rod suspension at the back, double leaf springs at the front and rack-and-pinion steering.
Instead of chrome, the French used polished aluminum for the car's trim. Unfortunately, when Panhard tried to save even more weight by making entire car bodies out of the expensive material, bankruptcy soon followed. Citroën acquired the company in 1967, with Panhard continuing today as a military contractor within Renault Trucks' Defense division.
Meanwhile, Volkswagen has come up with a completely different Beetle for the future. It remains to be seen if VW's electric concept will be as successful as the original Beetle, or suffer the fate of Panhard.
You Might Also Like
