RENE BONNET

Missile

Having met with some sales success (and many racing victories) in the United States, DB decided to tailormake a car for the US market. The more comfortable Le Mans was the result, and to underscore the intentions of the producers it had its world premiere at the 1959 Boston Motor Show. The European debut was shortly thereafter, at the 1959 Paris Motor Show. The car was a two-seater convertible built on the usual Panhard underpinnings, with the 848 cc flat-twin "Tigre" engine, capable of 60 PS (44 kW) SAE at 6000 rpm. The DIN claim is 52 PS (38 kW). The promised top speed was 160 km/h (99 mph), putting performance on par with that of a period Porsche 356 "Dame" or an MGA.[1] The design, with its pronounced tailfins and low long nose, was the work of René Bonnet and his son Claude, as well as young designer Jacques Hubert. Charles Deutsch was preoccupied with other projects and took little interest in the Le Mans.