1901 Panhard & Levassor 8 HP

Gottlieb Daimler and his partner Wilhelm Maybach, Emile Levassor, and also Armand Peugeot are, without a doubt, the founders of the automotive industry, together with Karl Benz. The launch of the first Panhard & Levassor and Peugeot in the fall of 1891 marked the birth of the modern petrol-engined automobile. 

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M4E engine

The "M4E1" engine belongs to the second generation of Daimler engines, now called “Phoenix.“ Much lighter than its predecessor, the Phoenix had a camshaft and rocker arms, which can be seen on the left side of the engine. It also featured an all-new revolutionary constant-level carburetor. It is also worth mentioning that this time the Phoenix engine was available in a four-cylinder configuration for automobiles. Previously the only four-cylinder Daimler engine powered boats. The Phoenix was ​​produced in both two- and four-cylinder variants from the beginning. Emile Levassor, who established himself as the technical director of Panhard & Levassor, was the designer of the brand's first automobiles and their components, with the exception of the engine. Nevertheless he made certain improvements in that field as well; he had frequent communication with Daimler and Maybach and forged a true friendship with the latter.A few cars with two-cylinder engines (4 CV M2E and 6 CV M2F) were produced starting in April 1896, but the new Phoenix engine made its first official appearance on the occasion of the second motor race of the year, the Paris-Marseille-Paris run, which took place from September 24 to October 3, 1896. This race was a new triumph for the brand, which won three of the first four places in the ranking. The winner was Émile Mayade in an 8CV M4E. This model, which had been in production since July, became one of the pillars of a four-cylinder range that included the 12 CV M4F from 1897 and the 16CV M4I from 1899.

 

The Electromagnetic Gearbox

On April 14, 1897, a tragedy occurred at the factory: Emile Levassor died suddenly, while he was working on the plans for an electromagnetic gearbox. Those plans had been submitted to him by Arthur Krebs, commander of the Paris fire department, who patented the idea in May 1896. This event completely disrupted the organization of the company. René Panhard went on to set up a public limited company, and he recommended to the board of directors that they hire Commander Krebs as a technical director to replace Levassor. Krebs was quickly elected, and his creativity and determination allowed the company to continue on the path drawn up by his predecessor: that of technical progress and quality. Under his leadership, the model range was developed and production followed an upward curve.Work on the magnetic gearbox continued and was concluded in November 1897. The device was first mounted for testing on a 4 CV (M2E) chassis; it is not known if these tests were successful, but it is assumed that some problems were uncovered, as it took another two years to see other chassis with this device. With the exception of a single 6 CV (M2F) chassis produced in May 1900, all other electromagnetic cars on the market belonged to the 8 CV (M4E) family. The 8CV was offered as a coupé, a landaulet, or a hansom cab. Its chassis design abandoned the straight chassis of the other versions for a curved chassis; the clutch disc was placed under the steering mechanism. Documentation on the magnetic frame is difficult to find. We could not find any technical description in the Panhard Archives, although it was the subject of patents at the time in France, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. The latter, GB189619774A, titled “Improvements in Mechanically Propelled Vehicles,“ talked about

“the coupling of the several change gears with the motor shaft for the purpose of obtaining the desired changes of speed and also rearward movement, by means of an electro-magnetic apparatus controller by an electric commutator; and to produce by electrical means the automatic disconnection of the motor mechanism for stopping the car by means of a pedal which also serves to operate the brake … On the driving shaft are loosely mounted four discs on which are fixed four pinions … In order to throw any desired one of the four pinions into gear with the motor shaft, I employ an electro-magnetic device formed of two double . . . electro-magnets keyed on the said shaft and whose discs carry the pinions serving as armatures. The electric current necessary for exciting the electro-magnets is 'produced by a small dynamo driven from the motor shaft and it is led to the exciting bobbins by means of brushes rubbing on insulated rings provided on the cylindrical surfaces of the said electro-magnets. For the purpose of operating the electro-magnetic clutch, I employ a commutator arranged preferably under the handle bar and adapted to be operated in such a manner as to establish, according to five different positions, the electrical connections that correspond respectively to rest; forward movement at low speed; forward movement at medium speed; forward movement at high speed; and movement in the rearward direction.“

 

Starting on June 23, 1899, the board of directors set a new price for all models in the range, which ranged from the 4 CV M2E chassis at 6500 francs to the 16 CV M4I chassis at 29,500 francs. The 8 CV M4E was available in three versions: the normal chassis at 14,000 francs, the "Paris-Amsterdam" type racing chassis equipped with several improvements as standard (aluminum body, tires, steering by steering wheel, and finned radiator) at 15,500 francs, and finally the magnetic frame at 16,000 francs. The Mines models (B1 or B2) are common with the other four-cylinder models (12 HP and 16 HP), while the two-cylinder models are of the A1 or A2 type. The difference between models with an index "1" or an index "2" is not clear. It is either a question of weight or a distinction between touring and utility models.Oddly, the advertising material published by the brand at the time did not refer to the electromagnetic clutch. So it is difficult to ascertain how many cars were produced with this equipment.By consulting the registers and handbooks we have found that in addition to the prototype 4 CV (1897) and the experimental 6 CV (1900), there were 20 units of the 8 CV produced, including three in 1900, 12 in 1901, four in 1902, and one in 1903. However, as the range of models with Phoenix engine were updated in 1901, and the electromagnetic models were built on the basis of the previous generation, we can assume that the last five units were built from stock. Of the 20 cars produced, one was assigned to René Panhard, another to Hippolyte Panhard, and a further two to directors of the company, Marcel Holtzer and Emile Garnier. Two other cars were exported to Belgium and one to Italy (it appeared at the Turin Exhibition in 1901).

 

A Survivor

This amazing automobile that was the 8 CV ultimately left little mark in motoring history, but fortunately at least one car – chassis number 2646, delivered on April 22, 1901, to Mr. Thorey in Paris – survives today. Its hansom-cab-style coachwork was supplied by the well-known Kellner company. This vehicle features forward control, separating the chauffeur from the owne,r who would sit snugly in the hansom-cab rear, protected by a leather apron and a drop-down windscreen. At some stage early in the car’s life, the steering controls were moved to a more conventional position. This enabled the driver to steer the car from within the hansom cab and generally updated the overall appearance of the vehicle. In this form, the car was displayed in a French museum for many years and later acquired by Brian Moore of Veteran Car Club fame in the United Kingdom before changing hands at an auction in London in July 1989. The new owner, Stijnis Schotte, a well-known Dutch collector who operated the De Autostal museum, first exhibited the car in its changed state but eventually opted to restore it to its original specifications. In 2004, the car returned to the U.K., where it was part of the Ward Brothers’ Collection. It appeared at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. 

P.O.A.