The Panhard Dynavia was a prototype car which was debuted
at the 1948 Paris Motor Show.
Based on the Panhard Dyna, the aerodynamic bodywork of
the Dynavia was conceived by the Frenchman Louis Bionier.
Bionier had been working for Panhard during World War
II, and at the same time he'd been studying the aerodynamic
properties of birds, and the slippery shape of fish. He
believed that by following nature's example he could create
a car which was faster and more efficient.
Once the war was over and the world began to return to
normal, construction of the car could begin. The Dynavia
featured a 610cc (0.6 litre) two-cylinder engine - the
same unit used in the Dyna. However the Dynavia was around
20 percent faster and also more fuel efficient than the
donor car. In fact it could return an impressive 57 MPG.
In the end the Dynavia never made it past the prototype
stage. However some of the ideas developed during the
project did make it into subsequent Panhard models.
Although two Panhard Dynavia's were constructed in total,
only one remains intact. This example currently resides
in the Musee National de l'Automobile in Mulhouse, France.
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