Panhard Dyna Z

Friday 29 November 2012
The Panhard Dyna Z was a lightweight motor car made by Panhard of France. It was first presented to the press at a Paris restaurant named "Les Ambassadeurs" on 17 June 1953 and went into production the following year. In 1959 it was replaced by the Panhard PL 17.
Panhard was one of the world's oldest auto manufacturers and since 1945 had become known for producing economical cars. Panhard, like Citroën, considered itself a leader, not a follower of automotive trends, and the Dyna Z had an impressive array of unusual engineering choices.
In 1955 Citroën had taken a 25% holding in Panhard's automobile business and during the next two years the national dealership networks of the two businesses were integrated. This gave Citroen and Panhard dealers an expanded market coverage, incorporating now a small car, a medium sized saloon and a large car range. It gave the Panhard Dyna Z, during its final years in production, a level of market access that its predecessor had never enjoyed. Sales benefitted.
The Dyna X was replaced by the more streamlined Dyna Z in 1954. This was later developed into the similar PL 17, launched in 1959, in an attempt to conform to the styles of the time.
The Dyna Z's body was originally aluminium, like that of the preceding Dyna X, with steel tube subframes front and rear, joined by steel plate reinforcements in the sills. The aluminium was gradually replaced by steel during 1956 as the cost differential between the two materials became unsupportable. The suspension was modified and the shock absorbers changed to cope with the extra weight. By 1958, only the bumpers, the fuel tank, the engine cooling shroud and most of the engine and transaxle cases were aluminium, but the weight was still quite low for a relatively comfortable six-seater saloon, when compared with narrower competitor models from Peugeot and Simca. Its unusual and very modern design gave it a unique combination of space, ride comfort, performance and fuel economy at a very competitive price. But reliability suffered and fuel prices were not high enough, even in France, for people to put energy efficiency first. The car also suffered from some engine and wind noise. The Tiger version had a racing inspired engine and a full cooling shroud.

Technical data:
- engine: 2 cylinders
- capacity: 851 cc
- horsepower: 50 HP
- gearbox: 4+1
- top speed: 145 km/h

DB Panhard HBR5

Sunday 02 September 2012
The HBR 5 model (1954–1959) was Deutsch and Bonnet's (DB) most successful project to date, with several hundred of the cars produced between 1954 and 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.
The steel-bodied 1952 "Mille Miles" (celebrating class victories at the Mille Miglia) was a mini-GT with a 65 hp Panhard two-cylinder; it was quickly followed by the Chausson-designed and fibreglass-bodied "DB Coach", an interim car of which about 70 were built, most with Frua coupé bodywork.
About 430 of the standard HBR 5 were built, complemented in 1960 and 1961 by another ten "HBR 5 Super Rallye"s - these were essentially chopped and sectioned competition versions of the "regular" HBR 5. Later versions could be equipped with engines of 1 and 1.3 litres, and superchargers were also available. As with all DBs, excepting the early Citroën-engined cars, the HBRs were all equipped with modified Panhard flat-two engines and other technology. The HBR 5 was the second fibreglass-bodied car to have entered series production, if such a thing can indeed be said about any of DB's products - no two cars may have been alike, as they were built according to customer specifications from a wide range of options. The HBR 5 was complemented by the less sporting LeMans (1958–1964), after which the DB brand was broken up into CD and Bonnet. What had been intended to be called the HBR 6 instead became the CD-Panhard (for "Charles Deutsch") while Bonnet focused on Renault-based cars. Cars equipped with the 750 cc engine were called "HBR 4", to reflect that they were in the 4CV (tax horsepower) category of the French taxation system. The bigger engined cars were 5CV, hence their name.
The Super Rallye was lowered by 15 centimetres (6 in), had a more steeply raked windshield, a higher aluminium content, and plexiglass side windows - all in the name of aerodynamics and lower weight. In addition to the ten regular series cars, an additional car was built from a 1962 Le Mans Coach. The Super Rallye was seen in lots of racing, having partaken in the 1960 and 1961 Le Mans 24 Hours, the 1961 Rallye Monte Carlo, in the Tour de France Automobile, and countless lesser regional races. A 1960 Super Rallye with the 954 cc option (and twin Zenith carburetors) offered 72 PS (53 kW) at 6,000 rpm and a top speed of 175 km/h (109 mph). The smaller HBR 4 was also raced at Le Mans and elsewhere, often with even lighter roadster bodies.

Technical data:
- engine: 2 cylinders
- capacity: 954 cc
- horsepower: 72 HP
- gearbox: 4+1
- top speed: 175 km/h