<< Prev Page 2 of 2 The very slippery fibreglass body was mounted on an uprated CD Panhard chassis. This straightforward design consisted of a central backbone chassis with a front subframe that housed the engine and gearbox. The air-cooled flat twin engine was mounted ahead of the front wheels, which were driven through a ZF five-speed gearbox. To eke a little more performance out of the diminutive engine, a supercharger was fitted. The single transverse leaf spring used on the front suspension was replaced by coil springs. Tipping the scales at just 560 kg, the CD Panhard LM64 could make do with in-board mounted disc brakes at the front and drums at the rear.
A single LM64 was entered in the official Le Mans test where Alain Bertault clocked the 33rd fastest time. An entry was lodged for the Nürburgring 1000 km but the car did not appear. Both cars were ready in time for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and entered for André Guilhaudin and Bertault, and Guy Verrier and Pierre Lelong. Despite the modest engine used, the slippery machines were clocked at a remarkable 221 km/h down the long Mulsanne straight. Sadly, the race ended early for both cars, due to an engine and gearbox failure respectively.
Following the disappointing outing at Le Mans, the two CD Panhard LM64s were not raced again. Deutsch continued his work, and in 1966 created an all new mid-engined sports racer. Later in the decade, Porsche called in his expertise to create the long tail and low drag versions of the 917. Well ahead of its time, the LM64 ultimately did not live up to its potential. Both cars do still exist and on the 40th anniversary of their sole race outing, in 2004, they were reunited and raced in the Le Mans Classic. << Prev Page 2 of 2
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The very slippery fibreglass body was mounted on an uprated CD Panhard chassis. This straightforward design consisted of a central backbone chassis with a front subframe that housed the engine and gearbox. The air-cooled flat twin engine was mounted ahead of the front wheels, which were driven through a ZF five-speed gearbox. To eke a little more performance out of the diminutive engine, a supercharger was fitted. The single transverse leaf spring used on the front suspension was replaced by coil springs. Tipping the scales at just 560 kg, the CD Panhard LM64 could make do with in-board mounted disc brakes at the front and drums at the rear.