The last real Panhard
08/16/2014
There are hardly any car brands left that originated from a family name and if there are, then there are hardly any family descendants who are still involved in the company. Jean Panhard, who died recently, was one of them. He was a descendant of the family that founded Panhard & Levassor in 1886 and ran it until 1967, when Panhard was completely taken over by Citroën.
As a shrewd businessman, Jean Panhard set the tone on several occasions and it was he who ensured the survival of the brand in the 1940s by creating a military-industrial division. And as a trained engineer, he influenced the development of a small car that brought the Panhard brand to new customer segments.
Even after his retirement in 1981, he remained actively involved in the automobile, heading the French Automobile Club and serving as Vice-President of the FIA, as well as chairing the Paris Motor Show. He was also involved in saving the Schlumpf collection in Mulhouse
In 2013, Jean Panhard was able to celebrate his 100th birthday with hundreds of Panhard fans, but now he too has had to retire.
