PANHARD LEVASSOR – year 1891

Manufacturer: Société Anonyme des Anciens Etablissements Panhard & Levassor, Paris, France

It is difficult to imagine the development of the automotive industry in France without its pioneers - Panhard and Levassor. Rene Panhard and Emile Levassor, both engineers, took over in 1886 r. a factory producing woodworking machines, and after obtaining a license for Daimler engines in 1890 r. began to intensively produce cars.

Levassor tried to build a car from the very beginning, which would no longer resemble a horse-drawn carriage, a wherein all parts are specially designed with regard to the functions of the car. He tried different engine arrangements - at the rear, in the middle, until finally it was decided to put a vertical two-cylinder engine in front of the vehicle. Model Panhard-Levassor z 1891 r. became the company's first car with such an engine. It was a Daimler 2-cylinder V-engine, with cylinders at an angle of 20 °, in which the connecting rods with a difference of one revolution in the ignition act on a common crankshaft.

Engine with displacement 1235 cm3 developed power 1,84 kW (2,5 KM). A glow plug was used to ignite the mixture. The driving force was transferred from the engine via a clutch to a 4-speed gearbox, then to the rear wheels, with the help of a chain. The car developed maximum speed 30 km/h. The model that has survived to this day proves its reliability, on which the owner has ridden to 1932 r. 140 thousand kilometers.

Emil Levassor took part in races behind the wheel of his cars, thus demonstrating the avant-garde of their constructions. W 1895 r. won after 48 hours, non-stop driving in the first car races on the Paris - Bordeaux - Paris route. A year later, he became the favorite of the biggest French competition Paris - Marseille - Paris, length 1711 km. Only an unfortunate accident robbed him of victory. The company's satisfaction was that Panhard-Levassor cars took the first three places.

Levassor died in 1897 r. as a result of the injuries sustained in this accident. So he was the first victim of motor racing.