First-Generation Panhard Dyna Walkaround

I called the Panhard Dyna X a "styling crime" in a 2014 post.  Now that I'm older and more mellow, I'm tempted to take back that harsh assessment.  But yes, the design is indeed pretty ugly.

On the other hand, the circumstances of its creation in the chaos and aftermath of German occupation of France in World War 2 make the design more understandable.  Also, Panhard chose to accept the Pons Plan (scrolll down), a French government initiative to control its automobile industry.  Panhard was to shift its market to small-size cars, and the Dyna was the result.

As I mentioned in that post, "During World War 2, [the famous engineer Jean-Albert Gregoire] worked on a small sedan design that, among other features, weighed comparatively little because much of the body was made of aluminum.

"His AFG design interested the Panhard firm, but when Paul Panhard licensed the design from AFG and Grégoire in 1943, it was stipulated that Panhard had the right to modify the design.  And modified it was, as the images below indicate.  As best I can tell, the redesign was handled by Louis Bionier and Panhard staff."

The Wikipedia entry for the Dyna X is here.  It mentions that its wheelbase was 84 inches (2130 mm).  Other, better-known, French postwar small cars included the Citroën 2CV with a wheelbase of 94.5 inches (2400 mm) and the Renault 4CV whose wheelbase was 82.5 inches (2096 mm).  Volkswagen's Beetle wheelbase was the same as the 2CV's.  So the Dyna sedan and the Renault were seriously short by 1948 European standards.

The image at the top of this post is a Panhard publicity photo.  Images below of a 1951 Panhard Dyna X86 are via Bonhams Auctions.

Gallery

General appearance is 1930s, not mid-1940s.

The main Dyna body type was the Berline 4-door sedan.  Four doors was the conformation preferred by French car buyers for many years.  Note how constrained the rear door is, thanks to the short wheelbase.

No trunk lid.  Access was by tipping the rear seat back forward.

The separation of the passenger compartment greenhouse and rear lower body is covered by a chrome strip.

Trunk space was enhanced by placing the spare tire outside.

Fenders are very 1930s.  The greenhouse's side windows are proportionally large, giving the car a lighter appearance.

Headlight assemblies are also typical of the 1930s.  The motor was air-cooled, so the grille opening was scaled to its cooling needs.  Frontal detailing is more decorative than related to body shape details.

By the way, the license plate code 42 signifies France's département Loire.

The instrument package décor echoes the grille's, and ancillary frontal lights framing theme.