Family Fortunes Part 6

In 1951 the Junior arrived, 4700 being made, up until ‘56- mostly in Panhard’s satellite factory in Orleans, which could cope with the simple pressings of the little roadster’s body. The Junior was based on a prototype designed by Di Rosa, a coachbuilder in the Paris region better known for his lorry bodies. “He showed us this car and it was sheer simplicity,” recalls Panhard, “but unsaleable. We had to give it a higher ’screen – you couldn’t drive it. My head was holding the hood up.”By then Panhard was successful in competition, notably through its support of the DB team. “It was important,” explains Panhard. “As far as sales were concerned, having cars involved in competition was extremely worthwhile. And in its field Panhard was king for a number of years. It didn’t cost us very much. It gave us a quite extraordinary return, on a slender investment.”