This is the 1908 Panhard et Levassor Type Q Racing (15698), one of the most valuable cars sold at the @rmsothebys 2025 auction. Born in a time when the automobile was still an experiment in courage, it represents the height of early French engineering. At its heart lies a massive 10.5-liter T-head four-cylinder engine, each cylinder measuring an astonishing 145 millimeters by 160, producing roughly 50 horsepower. Power is sent through a combined gearbox and differential that drives the rear wheels by twin chains, all mounted within a steel-reinforced wooden chassis. In its day, few machines could compare…larger in displacement than a Simplex and more expensive than nearly any car made in France, the Type Q was as much a statement of mastery as it was a machine. Factory records show this example was completed in April 1908 and dispatched through the Palais de l’Automobile in Paris, fitted with ball-bearing hubs, a pneumatic starter, and grand-sized wheels. Though the build sheet listed no body, it is believed the chassis was later shortened and fitted with a hand-riveted racing shell in 1909, transforming it into the fearsome competition car seen today. The Panhard soon made its way to Mexico, purchased by young enthusiast Don Pedro Suinaga and raced by his close friend, driver Augustine Casaux. Period photographs show the pair competing in the 1910 Mexican speed trials, the car roaring past its rivals. By the 1940s the Panhard was rediscovered by Esso executive Fernando Ariza, who found it in the care of a convent in Mexico City. Amazingly complete, it was restored and later honored at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, taking First in Class in 1995. The car was carefully recommissioned, its riveted blue coachwork, staggered racing seats, and original Zenith dual carburetors all faithfully preserved.
How many made? Believed to be one of only two surviving four-cylinder Type Qs
Engine: 10.5-liter T-head inline-four
Debut: 1908, Paris delivery through Palais de l’Automobile
Top Speed: Approximately 75 mph
0–60 mph: Around 20 seconds
Photo Credit: @rcomediagroup
Research: @rcomediagroup
1908 Panhard et Levassor Type Q Racing
24.10.2025
Panhard