Panhard and Levassor Auto Inventions

Now it is hard to imagine the process of motorization in France without Rene Panhard and Emile Levassor - two engineers who in 1886 founded woodworking machinery plant. After a time they got license for outputting Daimler’s engines and since 1890 their company began producing automobiles engines.


Levassor wanted to design automobile that will be similar horse carriage but with specific automobile functions. He tried different engine locations: front, rear, middle and as result he decided to place vertical two cylinders engine in front of automobile. Their first model with such a construction was made in 1891. It was brought in motion with two cylinder V-type engines by Daimler that had 20° angle between cylinders and one crankshaft. Engine had 1,235 cc volumes and total power of about 1.84kW (2.5hp). Engine was connected via clutch with three gear gearbox that used chain-drive that was united with rear wheels. Its top speed was about 30kph (18mph). It was a reliable car and one of them has been preserved well till nowadays having run about 140,000km.


Emile Levassor took part in various racings at the steering of his automobile, showing the development of his invention. In 1895 Levassor won very hard non-stop Paris-Bordeaux-Paris race One year later he was the first at 1711km (1,026.6miles) distance the largest French race Paris-Marseilles-Paris but accident prevented him from winning this competition. However the first three winners of the racing were the automobiles of Panhard & Levassor.

Levassor died in 1897 from the injury he got in the accident, so he occurred the first man who fell a victim in auto racing.