The 1903 Panhard Levassor 16HP
The automobile which may have inspired the first Rolls Royce has been sold for UK£583,000 to an anonymous buyer at the Bonhams last Friday.
The 1903 Panhard Levassor 16HP belonged to Lord Llangattock, the father of the founder of Rolls Royce, Charles Stewart Rolls.
The French automobile has been in the family since 1935, and is “a part of motor history”, according to Malcolm Barber, CEO of the Bonhams Group.
Equipped with a four-cylinder engine, the Panhard has participated in the London to Brighton Run since 1958, and is recognizable amongst car connoisseurs.
After the Panhard was unveiled in 1903, Rolls came up with the Rolls Royce 10hp a year later, with the latter vehicle sharing some similarities with the former.
As these vintage automobiles are increasingly hard to come by, getting a sneak peek at this vehicle is akin to looking back on automotive history.
The Rolls Royce 10hp
The Rolls Royce 10hp
[via Daily Mail]