Panhard Dyna Z and PL17

Greetings to Demo, who just joined us.

A little history

We have already seen how, with its Dyna X, Panhard turned away from the luxury market after World War Two in order to concentrate on popular cars. By 1950, the original Dyna was already losing momentum against cheaper alternatives such as the Citroën 2CV or the Renault 4CV. Therefore, the company management decided to replace its car by a more ambitious automobile, which design proved to be a challenge, for the company wanted a car that would be large enough to accommodate six persons, offer good performance and economy, and yet run on nothing more than the tiny 850cc flat-two of the Dyna X. An impossible task for Panhard’s engineers, would you say... And yet, they succeeded in designing a car that would exactly fulfil these requirements.

This new model was logically called the Dyna Z, and was first introduced before the press at the Parisian Les Ambassadeurs restaurant, in June 1953. The car was immediately acclaimed as one of the most innovative automobiles of the time. As requested, economy (6 litres of gasoline per 100 kilometres, or about 40 mpg) and performance (top speed of 130 kph) were both achieved, thanks to an extremely aerodynamic body penned by Louis Bionier (Cx of 0.26, still an excellent figure nowadays) and a very light construction in duralinox, a light alloy. While most of its rivals weighed about a ton, a Dyna Z was less than 700 kilos. It also enjoyed then-advanced characteristics as a four-speed gearbox with overdrive, or practical features as its rearward-opening bonnet that encompassed the front wings, in order to give complete access to the engine. This latter detail should have seduced amateur mechanics, but unfortunately the very peculiar drivetrain wasn’t easy to service outside of Panhard’s dealerships – this still hampers the popularity of these cars as collection pieces today.

Despite some early quality problems, the Dyna Z was well received. Too well perhaps: despite the fact that its whole design had been thought to fit the company’s Porte d’Ivry factory, a cramped plant split between several levels in downtown Paris, and though Chausson had been contracted to produce the bodies, building the car in large volumes was virtually impossible. This, along with a major blunder from Panhard’s accountants in their computation of the production cost of the car, made for a relatively expensive automobile. In order to reduce its expenditures, Panhard progressively dropped the duralinox, originally retaining it for the body panels only, then later building its Dyna Z entirely from steel. In the process, the Dyna fattened up by almost two hundred kilos during its career, losing most of its advantage on the performance field.

In June 1959, Panhard introduced the Dyna Z’s replacement – actually nothing more than an updated car. This new PL17 saw both its front and rear panels slightly modified in order to fit the changing tastes of the public but, despite this, the car remained characteristically bulbous. The dubious “suicide doors” fitted at the front gave way the conventional doors. Furthermore an optional “Tigre” engine was available: the uprated 850cc engine could now propel the PL17 to a good 145 kph and give back to it the zing of the initial Dyna Z. Indeed, it proved a brilliant competitor in rally racing.

Though the PL17 was quite a nice car, it could no longer dissimulate that the old company was out of pace by the early Sixties. Cash-trapped, Panhard was doomed even more by the negative impact of the gradual takeover by Citroën. Initiated in 1955, it was completed ten years later. In January of the same year 1965, the PL17 retired without a successor – the new and striking model 24 coupe, to which it had been originally planned to add a four-door version, remained the lone Panhard offer until Citroën sadly pulled the plug in 1967. Nowadays, the name survived only on military vehicles.

About the models

Model: Panhard Dyna Z
Year: 1953
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.43 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in October 2005, in Souillac, France

This is a simple yet pretty reproduction of an early Dyna Z by Ixo for Altaya. My rating is 14/20.





Model: Panhard PL17
Year: 1960
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.25 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in February 2005, in Souillac, France

Ixo demonstrated comparable quality when it came to reproduce a PL17 for the very same Altaya series. Same rating: 14/20.





Model: Panhard PL17
Year: 1961
Maker: Solido
Scale: 1/18
Distributed by: possibly as no.27 of the Voitures de prestige au 1/18 press series
Acquired: second hand with neither stand nor box, in April 2007, in Brive, France

Not the most detailed 1/18 die-cast around, but still a pretty good one. Plus, a PL17 at this scale is a nice departure from the all-too-common GTs or muscle cars. My rating is 13/20 here.





Model: Panhard PL17
Event: 1961 Monte Carlo Rally, driven by Maurice Martin, navigator Roger Bateau (overall winners)
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.64 of its Voitures de Rallye de Collection press series
Acquired: brand new, in August 2006, in Souillac, France

The very limited racing preparation of early rally cars made an easy job for Ixo to reproduce the winner of the 1961 Monte Carlo – on that year, the light and nimble PL17 shared the three steps on the podium with no one. My rating is 14/20.

Panhard Panoramic

A little history

If you find that pre-war automobiles all look the same, you aren’t totally wrong. After all, for years previous design was virtually non-existent: style was determined by the engineers themselves, and only answered purely technical needs rather than the public’s taste. General Motors is generally credited for giving an increased attention to the appearance of its cars and creating a dedicated department, at first within its new La Salle branch. Soon, most automobile manufacturers had understood that good looks also helped selling cars. The intrusion of aerodynamics into the field of automobile design during the Thirties further gave a hand in developing cars that did away with the upright look of the Tens and Twenties.

Among the constructors that spearheaded this foray into modern design should be included the name of Panhard. Already one of the world’s oldest automobile manufacturers back then among the likes of Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot, Panhard had specialized in luxurious and comfortable, yet slightly unconventional automobiles. Engines were all of the sleeve-valve type, and rear suspension used a patented “Panhard rod”, an arrangement still used today. Common between the wars in luxury cars from all over the world, Knight-licensed sleeve-valve engines guaranteed silence, high torque and worriless functioning, at the expense of a high oil consumption as the said sleeves were prone to warping, consequently leaking oil – Knight-powered cars emitted characteristic blue exhaust fumes.

From 1934, Panhard’s CS and DS ranges, large cars using six- and eight-cylinder engines, were updated by the company designer Louis Bionier, who gave the models a distinctive look with exaggeratedly wide front wings, a tall and narrow grille, and low and closely set headlights, although its most unusual feature was its windshield. Large glass panes still were flat at the time (though not unknown by the Thirties, large curved glass panes made their real debut after World War Two, the technology having been developed to produce one-piece canopies for aircraft), and pillars were thick and cumbersome. Bionier tried to remedy the problem by flanking the windshield by two small windows, themselves set between thin pillars, which helped reducing the dark spots from the driver’s view.

This range, aptly named Panoramic, was distinctive, but not much ahead of the competition. Two years later, in 1936, Bionier refined its design and unveiled the new Dynamic, a rather baroque automobile which looked like nothing else on the road – but that’s another story.

About the model

Model: Panhard 6CS Panoramic faux-cabriolet
Year: 1935
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.40 of its Voitures Classiques press series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2007, in Souillac, France

Altaya’s Voitures Classiques series was peopled by some very nicely crafted models. Nevertheless there were exceptions, and this Panhard is unfortunately one of them: it could have been a success, if only Ixo hadn’t botched the characteristic windshield by fitting much too thick pillars. The front bumper is also slightly too large for my taste. Lacking finesse, this die-cast doesn’t deserve more than 10/20.

Citroën Dyane

A little history

The design of the 2CV was a quarter of a century old when Citroën started to worry about its replacement. Despite early scepticism, the car had encountered a large commercial success throughout the Fifties but, in September 1961, its sales suffered a terrible blow when Renault introduced its R4, less Spartan, more practical than its rival thanks to its pioneering hatchback.

Citroën’s engineers faced a challenge: the 2CV was virtually impossible to replace. Therefore, their answer was a more upscale version of the 2CV, which would remain in production. Should the new car encounter the same success as its predecessor, it could replace it for good.

The major part of the restyling work can be credited to Louis Bionier, ironically not a designer on Citroën’s payroll, but a veteran stylist at Panhard, which had just been taken over by the Javel company. Up front the car was heavily reworked, now featuring a wider grille and integrated headlights. The rear could look similar to the 2CV’s, but actually benefited from a hatchback. New doors that were curved inward were a trademark of the car. Mechanical parts were carried over from the 2CV, including its 425 cc flat twin engine.

The new car, named the Dyane - another hint at the Panhard connection as this name had been registered by the venerable company -, was unveiled in August 1967. A few months later, in January 1968, the lack of performance of the original Dyane versus the Renault 4 was acknowledged with the introduction of a new Dyane 6 powered by the 602 cc engine of the Ami 6. An early problem of the car, the bad visibility to the rear, was solved when a third side window was added to each side of the car, an improvement which the 2CV also benefited from – actually, it had first been initiated by Belgian-built 2CVs a few years before.

Initially, the Dyane outsold the 2CV and seemed able to replace it but, after only a few years, the newer car started to lose its breath. Main causes for this premature decline were the gradual improvements of the cheaper 2CV, which received the 602 cc engine in 1970, expansion of the R4’s range, and the unveiling by Renault of yet another ground-breaking city car, the 1972 R5.

In 1978, the range of light commercial vehicles offered by Citroën was transferred from the 2CV to the Dyane, though the car actually received the name Acadiane. Sales of this 400 kg van would help boost the sales of the Dyane. An Acadiane version that is worth mentioning is an early LPG-powered variant, which appeared in 1980 with only limited success.

The Dyane’s production was interrupted at the end of model year 1983. The Acadiane survived it by four years, being built until July 1987 – none of them therefore outlived the 2CV they had been given a chance to replace.

About the models

Model: Citroën Dyane 6
Year: c.1970
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.7 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in April 2004, through subscription, in France

Presented by Altaya as a 1968 Dyane, this has to be at least a 1970 model as it was only on that year that the car received its six-window body. I also have some reservations about the front grille. In any case Ixo fitted a 1968 registration plate to its model, making it totally implausible. This die-cast’s quality is in the average of Ixo/Altaya’s products but, because of the aforementioned lack of accuracy, I’ll limit my rating to 10/20.





Model: Citroën Acadiane
Year: 1980
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.53 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2006, in Souillac, France

A rather correct Acadiane, worth 12/20.









Model: Citroën Acadiane
Year: 1980
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.1 of its Michelin press series
Acquired: brand new, in December 2006, in Souillac, France

Same model as the previous one with a different (and quite nice) decoration: 12/20.

Panhard Dyna X

A little history

Panhard used to build luxury cars, but smartly converted itself into a popular car manufacturer right at the end of World War Two. The Panhards produced after the conflict would be characterized by their small flat-twin, air-cooled engine which offered not only good economy but also good performances thanks to well-studied aerodynamics and light weight due to the extensive use of alloys. First of them was the Dyna X, based on a project by Jean-Albert Grégoire. Introduced in 1948, it was produced until shortly after the launch of the larger Dyna Z, which was itself unveiled at the end of 1953.

Light and tuneable, Panhard engines also became invincible in the lower classes of international motor racing. The venerable manufacturer capitalized on this developing sporty image and launched in 1951 a small convertible based on the Dyna, the low-cost Dyna Junior (also simply called the Junior).

(This car’s history will be expanded in due time, please be patient.)

About the models

No comments about these models?! Well, it's late and I'm tired (that's my excuse not to confess "lazy" here). I'll certainly add some sometime in the future...

Model: Panhard Dyna X 110
Year: 1948
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.50 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in May 2006, in Souillac, France









Model: Panhard Dyna X
Year: c.1950
Maker: Eligor
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Atlas as no.31 of its Les petits utilitaires des années 50-60 series
Acquired: second hand with neither stand nor box, in October 2007, in Brive, France





Model: Panhard Dyna X
Year: c.1950
Maker: Eligor
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Atlas as no.22 of its Les petits utilitaires des années 50-60 series
Acquired: second hand with neither stand nor box, in October 2007, in Brive, France







Model: Panhard Dyna Junior
Year: 1954
Maker: Ixo
Scale: 1/43
Distributed by: Altaya as no.30 of its Nos Chères Voitures d'Antan press series
Acquired: brand new, in September 2005, in Souillac, France