General

A four-wheel petrol-engine car built by Panhard & Levassor in Paris.

According to the Panhard classification, it is a type ‘M4E Course’, chassis type ‘Paris-Amsterdam’

Layout is to the ‘Système Panhard’ (front engine driving through a gearbox to the rear wheels). In the early days of automotive design no-one knew the best layout for a car. There were rear engines, side engines, engines with the crankshaft pointing upwards, and many other variations. Panhard were the first to settle on the engine at the front driving through the gearbox to the rear wheels, and this became known as ‘Système Panhard’ Soon most other manufacturers copied this concept and it remained the ‘norm’ for many decades.

Year of manufacture 1899 (though there is speculation that it may be earlier – see History)

Use the buttons above to access information about various aspects of the car.