The Panhard PL 17 is an automobile made by the French manufacturer Panhard from 1959 until 1965. Presented on 29 June 1959, as successor to the Panhard Dyna Z, the PL 17 was developed from the older car, but with an much more streamlined body than its predecessor. The four-door saloon was joined by the Cabriolet in 1961, and by the Break, a five-door estate version, in April 1963. The Break, developed by Panauto, sat on a longer wheelbase but was of the same overall length. It was built in very small numbers, only about 2,500 being produced overall. Model name The model's name was derived from "PL" for "Panhard et Levassor" (the original full name of the company), with the "17" coming from the sum of 5+6+6, being 5 CV (fiscal horses, in the French power rating system) plus 6 for the car's six seats, plus 6 for the car's economy of . From the 1964 model year, the letters PL were dropped; this approximately coincided with the takeover the company by Citroën. Other names were lightly changed as well, with the addition of a "B" (for Berline) and "BT" for the Tigre model. The luxurious Grand Standing version was replaced by the "Relmax". The car also underwent a slight facelift, losing the chrome unibrow at the front. Technical specifications Initially, the car continued to use the engines of the Dyna Z, both of 851 cc. The standard one gave (DIN), the "Tigre" gave (DIN). The engines are twin-cylinder air-cooled "boxer" types, mounted with the gearbox at the rear and the two exhausts at the front. Beginning in July 1960, the engines decreased in capacity to 848 cc (to suit tax limits at 850 cc in many markets), with power remaining as before. SAE horsepower claims were , and , respectively. The front wheels are driven through a four-speed gearbox with column shift, with synchromesh on the upper three gears. Suspension at the front is provided by two transverse leaf springs, and at the back by three torsion bars each side. The standard car weighs approximately , and the Tigre . This light weight combined with the car's streamlining (with a coefficient of drag said to be Cd 0.26) allows for top speeds of for standard sedans and for the Tigre. It is possible to remove the back bench to enlarge the already considerable luggage space to . This