1901 Panhard et Levassor Type B1

• Competed in Willie K. Vanderbilt’s 1900 -1903 Newport Automobile Races, the first international track races in America

• Introduced the first modern 4-wheel, front engine, rear wheel drive chassis design, now known as the “Panhard Chassis”

• Received the 2019 Audrain Concours Founder's Award

One of the oldest race cars extant, this Panhard et Levassor Type B1 is one of the earliest purpose-built racing automobiles in existence. Driven by David Wolf Bishop, it competed in the Newport Automobile Races (1900 -1903). Organized by Wille K. Vanderbilt, these were first international track races in America. They were held at the Aquidneck horse track, located in nearby Middletown, just west of where the Newport State Airport is today.

The increased speed of the automobiles had outgrown the dirt track and necessitated Willie K. moving the races to Long Island. These longer circuit races became known as the Vanderbilt Cup Races. 

After competing in the 1901 motor race in Newport, Rhode Island, this

12-horsepower 4-cylinder Panhard competed in the New York to Buffalo endurance race in September 1901. The Panhard was victorious in every stage and was declared the overall winner, and proceeded to win fifteen of twenty-two races. Continuing to prove enduring reliability, the Type B1 ran in the Audrain Veteran Car Tour in April 2024.

René Panhard was the first to manufacture a motor car with a front mounted engine and rear-wheel drive — a revolutionary concept at the time, unlike the motorized carriage. The “Systeme Panhard,” invented in 1891 by René Panhard and Émilie Levassor, incorporated 4-wheels, a front engine, clutched transmission, and rear wheel drive layout which became ubiquitous with the Panhard brand and is still referred to today for cars having a “Panhard Chassis”.

Specifications

·       Engine: 5-liter Daimler inline 4-cylinder

·       Transmission: Clutched 3-speed, chain drive

·       Power: 12 hp

·       Top Speed: 35 mph

·       Weight: 1279 lbs