1933 Panhard et Levassor 6 DS RL

In 1890, Rene Panhard and Emile Levassor built their first car. It was a mid-engined, back-to-back horseless carriage that was followed a year later by what many consider to be the first modern car, having a front-mounted engine and driving the rear axle.

With fellow countrymen Serpollet, DeDion, and Peugeot, Panhard & Levassor were the world's earliest automobile industry. It was also France that gave the name 'automobile' by combining Greek and Latin roots.

Panhard & Levassor were pioneers, introducing many industry 'firsts' such as the wheel steering (1896) and tubed radiators (1897). By 1902, there were over 1,000 Panhard automobiles in production. Panhard & Levassor were among the first motorsport competitors.

This particular vehicle is a 6 DS RL (Type X71) that was purchased new by Monsieur Lagouche of Arpajon, France on July 12th of 1933. The price of the car was 55,000 Francs and he placed a deposit of 30,000 Francs in order to take delivery of the car.

The body style is a faux-cabriolet in 'DERKA' trim. It originally was powered by a 4.1-liter, six-cylinder sleeve-valve engine. In December of 1934, the car was returned to the factory to have its engine replaced with the larger 4.8-liter, inline six-cylinder unit from the X74.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2017