Faded Glory.(Escape Roads)

Byline: ERIC TEGLER

The 1961 Panhard PL17 sedan featured several touches that amazed the press and trumped the competition. The problem for Panhard was that it did so in 1948. More than a decade later, the car's innovations were no longer compelling.

Though Daimler-Benz gets most of the ink, Paris-based Panhard et Levassor marketed the first production car to the public (using a Daimler engine) in 1891. The firm created the template for the modern automobile in 1892, when it built the first car with a front engine followed by a clutch and transmission driving the rear wheels.

Establishing a reputation for engineering excellence in the early part of the 1900s, Panhard served a select clientele. A Panhard roadster set a world speed record of 133 mph in 1934, and the company's mid-'30s Panoramique and Dynamic were considered benchmarks of haute design and innovation. But the Great Depression and World War II took their toll on the glory that was Panhard.

Following the war, the French government sought to encourage efficiency by making it easier for manufacturers of small, economical cars to obtain materials. Though it had previously catered to the wealthy, Panhard had an appropriate design in-house, thanks to the efforts of director Paul Panhard's engineer son, Jean.

The Dyna X emerged in 1946 and went on sale in 1947. The Dyna's body and high-revving 610-cc two-cylinder, air-cooled boxer engine were largely aluminum. With a four-speed transmission, front-wheel drive and a clever suspension, the combination resulted in a machine with greater comfort and performance than the Citroen 2CV or Renault 4CV. But Dyna's relative sophistication yielded a higher price and reliability issues. The car struggled for sales.

The Dyna X continued through 1953, with increases in engine size and power. For 1954, the body was restyled in a sleeker, more modern form and the model got a new name, Dyna Z.