Our Panhard Dyna Z12 in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez

We bought this Panhard Dyna Z12 in October 2020 after finding it in Brittany. It reached the Gulf of Saint-Tropez in June 2023, not as a finished show car, but as a sound and sincere project to bring back to the road.

Purchase: October 2020

Our Panhard Dyna Z12 first appeared to us through a second-hand listing in Brittany. The photos were enough to understand the outline of the car: the rounded body, the soft 1950s profile and the unmistakable front end, even with the central headlamp missing. It was not perfect, but it looked complete and honest.

Distance made the decision more delicate. We live far from Brittany, so Jean-Noël's brother went to inspect the car for us. He knows cars well and, like Jean-Noël, spent his working life at Poissy with Peugeot. His view mattered because the Dyna needed more than enthusiasm. It needed a calm, practical assessment.

Why this Dyna Z12

The car attracted us for several reasons. First, there is the general shape of the Dyna Z, all curves and balance, with a face that no other French saloon of the period quite shares. Then there are the rear-hinged doors, the flat-twin engine, the front-wheel drive and the whole Panhard logic of doing more with less weight.

Our example also had the kind of condition we prefer for a restoration. It was not a dismantled puzzle and it had not been over-restored into something anonymous. The original interior was still there, the body was readable and the car still carried its age visibly.

The first inspection

The report from Brittany was reassuring. The engine ran. The body and paint were original. The serious corrosion was concentrated mainly in the floor, which is never a detail but is at least a clear problem. The interior was in good condition for its age, with only a small hole in the headliner. The car was not pretending to be better than it was.

• running engine, to be checked properly before regular use
• original body and paint
• perforating rust mainly in the floor area
• original interior still present and usable as a basis
• headliner damaged in one place

That was enough for us. The Dyna had work ahead of it, but it was a coherent base. It had a story, it had not lost its identity, and it deserved to be taken on with patience.

From Brittany to the Gulf of Saint-Tropez

The car stayed dry in Brittany until June 2023 while we prepared its arrival. During that time we gathered manuals, period information, club notes and practical advice. With a Panhard, documentation is not a luxury. The technical choices are specific enough to deserve method.

When the transport was finally arranged, the Dyna came south on a trailer. Seeing it arrive in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez was a particular moment. It still wore the dust of Brittany, but it was now in its new garage, sheltered and ready for the next stage.

First jobs to plan

The engine runs, but it needs a real service before we can trust it. The brakes need a full rebuild. The floor must be repaired properly, with new metal where the corrosion has gone through. The electrical system also has to be checked carefully, especially grounds and old connections.

Inside, the aim is to keep as much original material as possible. The seats and trim are part of the car's identity. Cleaning, repairing and preserving matter more to us than replacing everything. The same applies to the body: repair the rust, stabilise the structure and repaint only with a clear reason.

• Floors: complete repair with made-to-measure metal sections.
• Brakes: hoses, cylinders, linings and bleeding to be done properly.
• Engine: ignition setting, carburettor cleaning and compression checks.
• Electrical system: loom inspection, ground points and reliable connections.
• Interior: preserve original fabrics where possible and replace the headliner.
• Bodywork: repair corrosion and repaint where the work requires it.

Technical sheet

• Model: Panhard Dyna Z12.
• Year: 1957.
• Body: four-door saloon, steel body.
• Engine: air-cooled flat twin.
• Displacement: 851 cc.
• Power: 50 SAE hp at 5,000 rpm according to the available data for this version.
• Gearbox: four-speed manual.
• Transmission: front-wheel drive.
• Original colour: light green.
• Notable details: central headlamp, rear-hinged doors and rounded 1950s body lines.

Gallery

For now, the Dyna is waiting under cover. The next steps will be technical and patient. The goal is simple: bring it back to the road without erasing the car that arrived from Brittany.