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Sera-Panhard - Sports car dream from France

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Created on March 7, 2021

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

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Sera-Panhard (1960) - as a convertible, the engine is in front of the front axle, with space for the spare wheel behind it

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Sera-Panhard (1959) - as a convertible, note the four-pipe exhaust system for the two-cylinder engine

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Sera-Panhard (1959) - View into the extensively equipped cockpit

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Sera-Panhard (1959) - the chassis under the plastic bodywork

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Sera-Panhard (1959) - Rear view of the convertible

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Sera-Panhard (1960) - as a hardtop coupé

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Sera-Panhard (1960) - sports car with Panhard mechanism and multi-part hardtop

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The Panhard PL 17 provided the technical basis for the Sera-Panhard

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Panhard PL 17 (1960) - with air-cooled two-cylinder boxer engine "Tigre" and 850 cm3, good for 50 hp - Geneva Motor Show 1960

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Summary

In France, too, promising sports car projects were repeatedly created, testifying to the enthusiasm and ingenuity of enterprising designers. One of these sports cars was the Sera-Panhard, which was presented in 1959 and could have had a chance with its sleek convertible body and good driving performance. But (once again) things turned out differently. This vehicle report looks back to the 1950s, tells the story of the Sera-Panhard and shows it in historical images and in the sales literature of the time.

This article contains the following chapters

Serial offenders
Technology from the shelf
Unsuccessful premiere
Model range extension
Financial difficulties
Second attempt in Spain

Estimated reading time: 5min

Preview (beginning of the article)

"Enfin une voiture grande tourisme en France" (finally a GT-class car in France) was the title of the self-confident announcement in September 1959. 20 million French francs had enabled two sports car enthusiasts named François Arbel and Jacques Durand to launch a sports car company at the end of the 1950s and put a finished prototype called the Sera-Panhard on the road "in record time" on July 31, 1959. There was no shortage of self-praise in the first press releases: "First of all, this car stands out for its bold yet refined elegance. Our preferred model in white, with a black top, shows exceptional class. The line is very low, seductive by its modernity combined with a sober design. The car has been designed to satisfy both feminine tastes and the demands of the sportsman." (translated from the French press release of September 1959).

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