Vehicle Description
This is one of those beautiful and seldom seen cars that has a
pedigree and style that makes it irresistible. So if you didn't
already know the 1961 Panhard PL17, now's the time to dig a little
deeper.
Panhard is French in all the best ways. The company was part of the
pre-war era where the country was the epicenter of automotive
design and engineering. But the post-war cars like this PL17 sedan
was all about showcasing a streamlined economy car. The profile
feels like pure French art as the overhangs on the front and rear
flirt with symmetry. And the aluminum bumpers and wheel covers fell
like a nod to earlier alloy bodied Panhards. So when there's a car
that's both unique and has a lot of history, it's desirable to find
one as complete as this example.
The suicide front doors with everything hinging on the B-pillar
certainly will make you a hit at car shows. It will attract people
over just to get a better view inside. The two-tone red with
stylized white insert on the bench seats and flowing across the
door panel is the correct pattern. It's just another reminder of
the art of French cars. In fact, the symmetry of the steering wheel
and full instrumentation pod is an elegantly simple design where
everything is brought together in one central area. And you feel
like the ignition was purposely placed under the steering wheel
just for balance and harmony. The clean dash gives this a
surprisingly spacious nature for a small car, and that shows how
the French put an emphasis on comfortable driving. Many pieces have
the feeling of originality, for better or worse, but there are a
lot of people who will get excited for such a complete example like
this.
Panhard loved engineering. After all, you should at least know them
from the Panhard Rod suspension design. And the engine bay really
showcases that kind of cleverness. It's an 848cc flat-two motor.
This twin cylinder boxer is the kind of thing you may expect in a
European motorcycle, but they were able to extract a few more
horsepower than Volkswagen did from the Beetle (and VW had double
the cylinders and almost 50 percent more displacement!) It's that
kind of uniqueness that makes a running and driving example like
this so alluring. As a front-engine, front-wheel drive car it has
the ideal layout for efficiently moving the power to the pavement.
In fact, you'll enjoy telling people you have a 1961 model because
that was the year the Panhards used their traction advantage to win
the full podium at the Monte Carlo Rally. It's not an overall speed
demon, but instead, the fun is about getting the most out of the
motor and fully utilizing the unique column-mounted four-speed
manual transmission. And as you take this one into the higher rev
ranges, the air-cooled powerhouse has a terrific tone that has
hints of the best European motorbikes. It has the expected small
car nimbleness, and the ride feels a bit more comfortable than
expected. In other words, the total experience is uniquely
French.
This is a unique opportunity to own a former museum car. It's ready
for restoration or even just fine to drive as-is, and so it makes
for a fun automotive adventure with a ton of potential. Call
today!!!