1960 DB LE MANS LUXE Rare model

Nice original condition

Clear history

Importa…
Description

1960 DB LE MANS LUXE

Rare model Nice original condition Clear history Important file of invoices Provisional French registration Charles Deutsch, engineer of the Ponts et Chaussées and René Bonnet, mechanics, met in 1932 when the family workshop of the latter was family workshop was put up for sale. Very quickly the project was born to ingenious cars intended for competition, all based on the competition, all based on a Citroën engine. Thus, in 1938, the two friends managed to enter a car in the 12 Hours of Hours of Paris. However, the war put their projects on hold and it was not until 1945 that Deutsch and Bonnet took up their tools to pursue their dreams of racing cars. Thus, in 1947, the foundation of the "Automobiles DB" was made, accompanied in 1949 with the first participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans of the duo with a Citroën-powered "tank". It was finally to Panhard that the ingenious enthusiasts turned to Panhard for the mechanical components for their future cars. In 1959, the "Le Mans" cabriolet was presented at the Paris Motor Show. Equipped with a plastic body, it shared many mechanical elements with the Panhard PL17 following agreements signed between the two manufacturers. Under the bonnet of the "Le Mans" is the 850cc twin-cylinder engine that develops 50 horsepower and is known as the "tigre". This innovative and powerful engine was developed and tested in large part on the Le Mans circuit, notably under the bonnet of the Panhard-Monopole team cars from 1954. Thanks to this engine and its lightness (less than one tonne when loaded), the DB Le Mans became a sports cabriolet. With a top speed of 170 km/h, the car is nevertheless elegant, almost Italian in form, with taut, aggressive lines and a name on the rear wings recalling the numerous victories of the brand in the Le Mans race in the mid-1950s. Very rare on our roads, only 200 of these convertibles were produced until 1962, when the two partners at the origin of the DB firm separated. The example presented here, built in Champigny-sur-Marne, is a luxury model that never left Switzerland. It bears the chassis number 5023, which indicates that the car was delivered between December 1960 and February 1961. It was not registered until 1964, in Geneva, under the administrative "code" of approval X, which led to an isolated approval by assimilating the model to a Panhard PL17 tigre from which it took the mechanics. This discrepancy is explained by the fact that it benefits from top-of-the-range finishes and that it had to be sold after having been the show car of a professional in French-speaking Switzerland, Geneva having been a breeding ground for DB Le Mans since no less than a dozen were sold new there, 5049 having, for example, come out of the barn with a certificate of registration from the first owner, in 2019 5023's dashboard still bears the snaps of a tonneau cover, cigarette lighter and radio (replaced by a dummy); it has both the soft top and hard top. The car is initially charcoal black with a black soft top and black interior. It was acquired in the 1970s from the first owner by a Dutchman, Mr Héringa, who sold it to the garage owner Roger Epars, one of the last professionals in Geneva to maintain Panhard cars for enthusiasts. Mr Epars dismantled the engine and the BV and had it repainted in metallic black. It was lying in the garage next to a sister car (DBLM5259) that its owner sold in 1986 to the current owner of 5023 (who sold it again, taking over 5023). At the death of Mr Epars in the early 1990s, it was sold in a state of disrepair... Disparate: A Swiss saddler rebuilt the bonnet and the interior as originally. After the mechanics have been rebuilt, the owner drives the car extensively: it has been seen at Epoqu'auto, at the monthly Saga3D events (Geneva). The mechanics have been revised in 2019 by a recognised Panhard specialist. 5023 receives on this occasion a new red interior, brightening up its austerity a bit. The seller imports it to France where he also has ties. Subject to a brake hose, it passed the CT in France on 14 June 2021. It is currently provisionally registered under "WW" plates and should receive its CGC registration shortly. The work done is regular maintenance by the seller: - New bonnet (1995, with wooden roll bar against windscreen, new) and interior (2019) - Exhaust line first in stainless steel (1995: made by the late Yves Demeusy) then recently by an apprentice who assembled standard components following the path shown in the floor (and respecting anti-noise standards, unlike the previous muffler). - Engine, brakes overhauled in 2019 as the car has hardly been driven since. - The chassis has been cleaned from the original blaxon, treated and reblaxed. It is sound. - The front fuses have been changed for a check-up before the session. - The bodywork needs to be rebuilt but does not prevent the vehicle from being used. - It has 39279 original kilometres and can be driven immediately. It is therefore with a clear history, a meticulous mechanical revision and passionate owners that we present you this rare car that is just waiting to be driven.

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1960 DB LE MANS LUXE

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