Cars - Panhard Dyna Z

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	Cars - Panhard Dyna Z

The Panhard Dyna Z was one of the last Panhard cars to be made, perhaps the last (potentially) really important model. Panhard was one of the world's oldest auto manufacturers and made cars that would have helped more to conserve gasoline in the 1970s energy crisis if they had remained in production longer. Remembering them may help, in the future, to deal with decreasing energy supply and global warming. Having introduced (and abandoned) things as basic as the front engine rear drive configuration, Panhard, like Citroën, considered itself a leader, not a follower. The Dyna Z had an amazing array of unusual engineering choices.

The Dyna X was replaced by the more streamlined, envelope bodied, Panhard Dyna Z in 1954. This became the PL 17 in 1959, in an attempt to conform to the styles of the time. The Z's body was originally aluminum, like that of the X, but this was gradually replaced by steel. By 1958, only the bumpers, the gasoline tank, the engine cooling shroud and most of the engine were aluminum, but the weight was still quite low for a relatively comfortable six place sedan. Its unusual and very modern design gave it a unique combination of space, ride comfort, performance and fuel economy at a very competitive price. But reliability suffered and fuel prices were not high enough, even in France, that people put energy efficiency first. It also had some engine and wind noise. The Tiger version had a racing inspired engine and a full cooling shroud.

Specifications of a 1958 Panhard Dyna Z Tiger

Price (USD): $2000 (comparable to a basic American car, and midway between those of a Volkswagen Beetle and a Peugeot 403)
Engine: 851 cc opposed 2 cylinder, four stroke, air cooled, concentric torsion bar valve springs on roller bearings, push rods, roller main and big end rod bearings; non-removable cylinder heads, removable steel cylinder liners, soft engine mounts to smooth the roughness of the 2 cylinder four stroke engine, radial flow fan bolted to crank shaft, full cooling shroud, aluminum structure and cooling fins. The starter was not activated by a solenoid but by pulling a cable.
Power: 50 hp. @ 5500 rpm
Drive: front wheel drive
Transmission: cable operated 4 speed manual with 2nd and 3rd synchromesh, column shift
Weight: 1800 pounds
Gas mileage: 30–40 mpg.
Top Speed: 90 mph. (The cooling was not up to maintaining this without undue wear.)
Calculated: 40 pounds / hp., 58.7 hp./liter
Front suspension: upper and lower transverse leaf springs (like the rear of an AC), curved downward to raise roll center. Generous ground clearance and travel.
Rear suspension: Torsion bars acting on trailing arms and joined and pivoted (between torsion bar ends) diagonal semi-trailing arms, described as "semi-independent"; This gave similar geometry but less unsprung weight than a solid (tube) axle.
Body: steel (Earlier models had aluminum bodies.), streamlined, four doors
Interior: The controls were on the steering column like a modern car, but the two tone horn was also on the column. Warm air exiting the cooling shroud could be directed, by pulling cables, over the exhaust manifold to the interior for heat and defrosting. The bench seats front and rear were covered in imitation unborn calf plastic. It had a vanity mirror on the passenger's sun visor. The back seat could be folded down to extend the trunk. The floor was flat, with no transmission or drive shaft hump.
Seating capacity: 6. Column shift and bench seats.
Brakes: drum, all outboard (unlike Citroëns), no power assist, very light pedal pressure

Driving Impressions

The aluminum gas tank typically leaked where the sender unit for the fuel gauge was attached. It lifted the outside rear wheel, on hard cornering with the trunk empty, like a Citroën 2CV or a six cylinder Porsche going backward, in spite of the downward slope of the front suspension leaves. This must have been caused by the weight distribution and spring rates. (The rear needed stiffness to support full load.) The suspension dealt with large bumps and dips wonderfully. The handling was very good, in spite of the wheel lifting. The steering was quick and light (without power assist). The passengers and driver tended to slide around on the plastic bench seats, with no seat belts, in spite of the patterning of the plastic. The heater worked very well (unlike that of a better known air cooled car that burned more gasoline). Double clutching was necessary for a smooth shift into 4th gear, but this was done at leisure because 3rd was quite high. Reverse was hard to find. The soft engine mounts made the clutch difficult for an inexperienced driver to operate smoothly. The unusual engine had an unusual sound that led some people to think it was a two stroke. Light bulbs burned out often, giving the impression that the company had gone too far in cutting costs. The brake lights also served as backup lights, so it could be started without the key in reverse with the brake on. It had no steering wheel lock but, in the U. S., its unusual controls appeared to make it almost theft proof. As an extra precaution, one could disconnect the battery with a knob on the steering column, labeled with a two letter French abbreviation. Similarly to 21st century cars, the turn signals, head lights, parking lights, high beams and two tone horn were all controlled by the same lever. This made them all easy to find, but one could confuse the turn signal and high beam motions. Lubrication required a more versatile lift than was available in many gas stations, at that time. It was always cited as the example of car aerodynamics (though the Kamm principle was not yet used).

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