1902 Panhard et Levassor Type B1

In the early days of the motorcar, Panhard et Levassor built some of the greatest French motorcars, and they were made famous by the victory of Emile Levassor in the Paris-Bordeaux-Paris race of 1895. Panhards were so fast that from 1895 to 1900 they won 15 out of 22 races.

This Type B1 is one of the first Panhards with a 4-cylinder engine built under license from Gottlieb Daimler, and it was fitted in the front in an arrangement known as the Systeme Panhard. This was at a time when engines were still finding their proper place in the chassis. This early innovation was one of the firm's many technological achievements and was soon adopted by almost all other car manufacturers. Panhard continued to build passenger cars from 1891 to 1967. Chassis 3332 has been a frequent entrant in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.