1902 Panhard et Levassor

1902 Panhard et Levassor 15hp Model KB Roadster

Offered by Bonhams | London, U.K. | October 31, 2014

Photo - Bonhams

Photo – Bonhams

Panhard et Levassor was one of the first automobile manufacturers in the world. They’re still around, too, even if they haven’t built passenger cars in decades. They began selling cars in 1891 – becoming the first company to offer a production model. And they sort of came up with the whole “put the engine in front and have it drive the rear wheels via a transmission” thing.

This car uses a 3.3-liter straight-four and has a four-speed transmission, which seems pretty cool for 1902. It was purchased new from Panhard’s Paris showroom by Ricardo Soriano, a Spaniard who would later have his own car company (for a few years, anyway). It was the 18th car ever registered in Madrid.

It remained with that family until 1945, when they had the car moved to a collection – where it stayed until 1975. It was restored in ’75 and it passed into another collection that year. The new owners held onto it until 2007. It is being offered from the third owner. It’s a very early, running, driving, and complete automobile. Many parts are entirely original, which is incredible. It can be yours for between $960,000-$1,100,000. Click here for more info and here for more from this sale.

Update: Not sold.

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