Striking similarity between two cars that are over 35 years apart
03/14/2021
It is a coincidence that we have published reports on two cars from very different eras in quick succession. Following the publication of our article on the Sera Panhard , a reader contacted us and emphasized the striking similarity to the Fiat Barchetta. At that time, however, the report on the Fiat Barchetta , which had been planned for some time, was not yet online, but now it is.
We have now directly compared the two cars, which are a good 35 years apart, in a picture (above). The similarity could well have led to accusations of plagiarism and a French-Italian feud in the mid-1990s, but we know nothing about it. And indeed, Barchetta designer Andreas Zapatinas is unlikely to have known anything about the Sera-Panhard, which was first shown in 1959.
However, the silhouettes of the two convertibles are actually very similar, even the crease on the flank was already there in 1959. The layout is also similar. In addition, both cars had front-wheel drive and almost identical dimensions: The Sera-Panhard measured 394 x 155 x 116 cm, the Fiat 391.6 x 164 x 126.5 cm. The wheelbases were also only a few centimeters apart at 225 cm and 227.5 cm.
Jacques Durand, who designed the Sera-Panhard, can only be congratulated for his modern automobile. However, both designers probably had the same basic goals, namely to design a flat two-seater in the spirit of the Barchetta sports cars of the early 1950s. Incidentally, the Fiat Barchetta was not considered a retro design when it was presented in 1995, but rather a modern interpretation of a once popular vehicle category.
Neither of them were real Barchettas anyway, as they had a high windshield and a very attractive convertible roof.
