RALLY CAR FROM FIFTIES-SIXTIES
Panhard Tigre
France
1961
PANHARD WAS ONE of the world's oldest names in car manufactuting, dating back to 1872. But by 1955 they had lost their - upmarket image and had to be rescued by Citroen, who eventually bought them out completely in 1965. The Dyna, produced after the war in response to a need for a small, practical and economical machine, had an aluminium alloy frame, bulkhead, and horizontally opposed, air-cooled, twin-cylinder engine.
In 1954, the Dyna became front-wheel drive, with a bulbous but streamlined new body. The 848cc flat-twin engine was a gem and in post-1961 Tigre guise pushed out 60 bhp; this gave 145 km/h (90 mph), enough to win a Monte Carlo Rally. Advertised as "the car that makes sense", the PL17 was light, quick, miserly on fuel, and years ahead of its time.Author: ArchitectPage
