Panhard 24-Series (1963 – 1967) Review

One company that could never be accused of selling out to the lowest common-denominator was Panhard – it prided itself on the advanced, forward thinking cars it produced, and that it was still able to produce cars that were able to challenge conventional wisdom. Aerodynamically sculpted, the Panhards may have been styled for form, but there was a quirky beauty there that stands up today. The Panhard 24CT was a perfect example of form and function.

Loosely based on the PL17, the CT was a two-door coupe that had an unusual but effective trapezoidal roofline, angular rear end, fared-in headlight lenses and a sharp aerodynamic snout. It looked years ahead of its time – and again, managed to extract a high top-speed from its low-powered engine. The engine was taken from the PL17, but like the earlier car, the 24 always felt a lot quicker than its performance on paper would suggest. But despite being one of the most technologically advanced and strikingly styled cars on the market, the 24CT never sold in great numbers. But this is not surprising, because for the same price as this striking flat-twin powered coupé, buyers could invest in an equally unusual, but much more practical, Citroën DS23.