Description
1959 PAUL MENISSIER PANHARD SPECIAL MARK PMS PANHARD YEAR 1959 CHASSIS FRAME ENGINE INTERNAL EXTERNAL NOTES First registered in France on 12 January 1950 with the number plate 6040AT3, on 30 May 1959 it was transformed into a Barchetta with the number 63-59-26.
It remained in France until 18 October 2013 when it was purchased by an Italian collector. A racing car with a revolutionary technical design, this highly original racing barchetta is a survivor of a very active and creative period in motor racing. Based in Drôme (in the south of France), Paul Ménissier was a Citroën agent and racing driver. He designed and built this PMS-Panhard based on a daring concept: by combining a mid-engine and front-wheel drive, the car combines ideal weight balance with the directional power of front-wheel drive.
An Alfa Romeo twin-shaft engine was used to power the prototype. Now, the car is powered by a Ford inline-four.
Powered by the Alfa Romeo engine, it was used by Paul Ménissier himself, among other events, on the famous Course de Côte du Pin. The car's most original feature is its mid-engine/ front-wheel-drive structure, unique in history on a racing car.
The chassis is a modified Panhard Dyna X, equipped with a more advanced rear suspension that includes coil springs. The front wheel train receives power from a drive shaft that runs through the cockpit. Well aware of the enormous advantages of front-wheel drive for road holding, Ménissier decided to put the weight of the engine in the middle for perfect balance, while retaining the road-holding qualities of the Dyna-X's front-wheel drive.
The mid-engine technology was truly new at the time (the PMS was built in 1958-59, while Ferrari only switched from front-engined to rear-engined sports cars in 1963...!). Combined with front-wheel drive, the PMS is truly revolutionary, even by today's standards. In addition, the bodywork was designed following advanced aerodynamic designs, closely derived from Porsche racing spiders.
Finally, the bodywork was further refined with a longer front end (probably designed to generate more downward force), as well as rear 'fins' not far removed from contemporary state-of-the-art cars. The Ménissier raced twice at the 'Course de Côte du Pin' hillclimb, first in 1960 or 61, then in 1962 - see photo below with a still experimental bodyworkreplaced with the one we know today, probably in search of aerodynamic load at the front. The press article above was communicated by Charly Rampal, a well-known Panhard expert (Dynamic-Club Panhard) and his friend Gérard Trémouilhac (former member of the GRAC Team). Thanks to them and also to Marcel, a friend of Ménissier's, who helped identify the car. Ménissier was a talented driver who took part in the Monte-Carlo Rally in a Citroën DS.
