Description
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In 1890, the car does not exist. Of course, some people had built vehicles powered by steam or oil, but their unreliability and uncomfortable ride did not convince anyone that they would become anything more than a kind of entertainment. What fly has stung René Panhard and Émile Levassor, when they decided to build a car, and then embark on a small scale production, becoming de facto the first automakers in history? From 30 October 1891 to 19 September 1967 nearly 470,000 cars and commercial vehicles of all kinds will leave the assembly lines. Beyond these figures looms an extraordinary human and industrial adventure made of many technical innovations, racing victories, engines and vehicles of all kinds. But Panhard & Levassor is not only car manufacturer; until 1953, the company continued the business on which it was founded, the manufacture of machinery for working wood. It is also, one might almost say above all, an engine builder: the first V-twin under Daimler license, flat-twin Dyna and 24, through the heavy oil in 4-cylinder that will delight road and bus drivers. In 1946, the engines are truly the backbone of the entire production Panhard & Levassor. Automobiles, but also military vehicles, ships, railway equipment, generators, tractors and even airships, the Panhard & Levassor engines have known all uses, including the gasifier, a technology which the brand has made a specialty, and which rendered great services during World War II. With the theme of automobile production without forgetting the utility, and supported by specific figures, this book will explore this rich past and pay tribute to all those who made possible this adventure: the Panhard family, but also Levassor of Knyff, Krebs, Delagarde, Bionier or Fauchère, and many others, engineers and athletes, executives or commercial directors or ordinary workers.
