Iconic vehicles for AXA National Classic Car Show

THIS year’s AXA National Classic Car Show will host one of the rarest and most sought after cars ever produced by the iconic French manufacturer Panhard.

The Panhard CD, which has never before been shown in Ireland or the UK, will be on display at the event in early March.

It is one of the last remaining Panhard CD cars from just 159 that were built in 1964 by the renowned race car engineer Charles Deutsch. It will be on the ‘Iconic French Cars’ feature stand and is believed to be the best example of this vehicle in the world today. 

Bob Montgomery, Show Director, said: “Every year we run the show we try to ensure that visitors will get to see something that has never been on display in the country before. One of these cars, the Panhard CD, has a distinguished racing lineage and is worth a visit to the show in its own right. This is a fantastic addition to the 2016 line up is a great opportunity to showcase the competitive side of Panhard, who won more than 1,800 races and rallies between 1895 to 1967.”

Panhard is one of the oldest car manufacturers in the world. It began production of vehicles in 1887 and after World War II the company became synonymous with the manufacturing of light and economical vehicles. The Panhard CD featured at the show is based on the model that won the Performance Index in 1962 at Le Mans that is still awarded to the most efficient car at the 24-hour race. Key to the competitiveness of the 1964 CD Panhard was the bespoke aerodynamic ‘slippery’ body, which had more sophisticated aerodynamics than any other car on the grid that year. In fact the design was so efficient that it achieved a drag coefficient of 0.12 that was never equalled again at the track.

Panhard remained in passenger car production until bought by Citroën in 1965 and the brand was discontinued two years later. However, the name lived on in military circles as the company became one of the most widely recognised producers of armoured vehicles.

Mr Montgomery added: “We have had a long association with the name Panhard in this country. Aside from the selection of rare cars from the manufacturer that will be on display we also have one of the military vehicles for which they are famous. The armoured car that we have on display was used by the Irish Army on overseas duties including the Congo.”

Visitors to the show can expect to see an incredible array of classic and vintage cars that they may have only ever read about in a magazine but have never had the opportunity to see up close. Many vehicles that will be on view that have come from private collections that are not normally seen by the public.

According to Mr Montgomery: “We will also have entertainment and events taking place over the weekend that will be fun for all the family to get involved with. The last show had the highest satisfaction rating among both visitors and exhibitors of any similar event in the RDS in recent times.” We intend to achieve that again this year.”

For spectacular displays of truly amazing classic cars and entertainment for all the family, visit the AXA National Classic Car Show on Saturday, March 5 and Sunday 6 from 10am–6pm each day.