They forgot to mention that the crankshaft runs on roller bearings, and the valves are opened and closed via torsion bars - not springs! Revs like crazy and no valve-bounce.
What's valve-bounce? Is that the same thing as valve float? If so, there's no reason why torsion bars would be any more effective than springs, is there? I'm not being a smartass, I'm genuinely curious. I know torsion bars are essentially springs in the Mopars and 4WD GM trucks I know and love, but that's a suspension part and it could be different if it's tiny like valvetrain stuff is. I know Ducati motorcycles and probably some other high-performance applications use cam lobes to both open and close the valves, which make them immune to valve float. I also know that Panhard was VERY innovative.
@@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney It’s been a while since I did schoolboy Physics, but it apparently has something to do with the effect of the changing harmonic resonance of a coil spring as the compression/release frequency increases, (and in high-revving engines that's often negated somewhat by using double valve springs of different tension). As for valve bounce vs valve float - I guess it just depends on who wrote the textbook
@@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney I’m not an engineer just a retired mechanic. One of the things about coil springs is that resonance can effect them quite a lot. I can imagine that torsion bars,while not immune, would mitigate the issue in some way. The idea has never taken off so perhaps not.
Hand carrying the windshield from Paris to U.S. Now, that's dedication and determination. I can imagine the looks Rich got, and the inevitable close-call, or two. Huge respect.
"In Paris they just simply opened their eyes and stared when we spoke to them in French! We never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language." - Mark Twain
@@darkwood777 so, supposedly things, like guitars and other musical instruments are allowed to fly on board, provided that they buy an extra seat for it to sit in, but in many cases, like United or Delta, they will still force the passenger against their will to check it at the gate anyway, resulting in a destroyed instrument. There have been a few cases of rare vintage instruments valuing more than $10,000 being completely destroyed. This guy got super lucky that the airline was willing to let him do this.
Stumped Dennis twice! Early last Saturday morning (this had just been posted), I was staging my Matra Bonnet at the Hilton Head Concours - my friend sent me this. By 11:00, Dennis strolls by - emcee'd the show. Like virtually everyone who sees it: "What the f*#k is that?" "Dennis - I'm gonna stump you for the second time today!" Told him that my dad was Howard Hanna and my current car is the successor to the DB. We had a great time - I also nabbed Best French Car and a couple of other awards. Same day - another friend notifies me that the new Road and Track has an article about the Matra Bonnet.
He forgot to say it's an HBR5 because DB built other cars too. Those are fun to drive, a top speed of almost 100MPH.The suspension is all modified Panhard Dyna Z, easy to duplicate to apply to Dyna X or Z to solve their loose factory design. The rear is super light though so it's quite easy to spin, one of the trick is to lower the rear tire pressure. If you race those, the engine can receive a roots type compressor (super hard to find) or you can punch out the cylinders to 954cc, twin carb, 4 spark plugs (I don't think it's necessary with modern fuel) so you can get rid of that weird and now worn distributor set up, Hi volume oil pump, lightened flywheel, and a cam. One overlooked part are the factory wheels that need to be reinforced so they won't bend in hard turns. I understand why he had to travel to Paris to get his parts, the main guy selling parts for Panhard and DB refuses to ship anything to anybody no matter where you live on the planet...
@@dennisdose5697 I restore cars for a living, I had the chance (if someone can think it's a chance to work on a warped and craked almost 70 year old fiberglass body) to work on HBR5 with and without the plexiglass roof and LeMans standard and luxe and to drive them too. Did a bunch of Panhard too.
50 HP is close to what the 356 had - but at 2/3 the weight... it should have been a good racer. I am glad that some people have the time and money to put into these rare cars - it is certainly a labor of love.
I was pretty sure I knew what it was from the start. I guess I’ve been watching too much of Jay Leno’s channel 😂. I remember his Panhard episodes where he referenced Duetsch Bonnets as they were based on contemporary Panhard mechanicals. Great car! Thank you for bringing us the story, Dennis
Pretty cool seeing these cars we've never heard of before. Pretty impressive that they stayed around as long as they did. Probably all hand-made which is a very difficult manufacturing model to survive in.
Wow, the windshield all the other stories you must have, handsome looks, and it was a real race car. I dont think Ive ever seen one, so cool really love it
They'd have to be 3-wheelers - since a 3-wheeler is registered as a motorcycle, it need not have all the bulky, heavy safety equipment that a car must.
We can. Nobody wants them. They want living rooms they can sit in "here" and get out of "there". Emissions aren't a problem anymore. The science is simple enough, affordable and more efficient than any carburetor engine ever. Efficiency equals more power, mileage, reliability and better drivability. It's the rest of the crap that drives up price of purchase and maintenance.
@@jessestreet2549 it’s pretty much what Baribrotzer said. Regulations prevent manufacturers from even making such vehicles even if they wanted to. They all have to follow modern crash standards, crumble zones, collapsible steering column, three point seatbelts, headrests, airbags, the A B and C pillars on classic cars would never be approved of today. Lots of standard. There was one in the late 90s involving the doors, which killed off a lot of coupes. Similar to when regulations wanted to ban convertibles. Now then, what people want us also dictated by these regulations as many don’t apply to trucks or SUVs. Emissions was one. The new EV law will be another. You want to buy an ICE vehicle in 2035, you’re buying a truck or SUV, which many people already do.
@@UmmYeahOk old materials, old tech and old ways of thinking. agreed that classic cars are deathtraps. time for new "classics". the presently insurmountable problem is the stunning incompetence of the average driver. advancing technology will render that moot by reducing the driver to a passenger . all the fun will be gone too. i rode motorcycles for about 25 years and only felt unsafe when cars were present. hell, i feel unsafe in my hulking F250 with other cars nearby. regulations will probably eliminate motorcycles too.
I would appreciate them making beautiful cars again and not those overly-aggressive looking ones which have a front look like your wife's when you come home on Sunday evening after a Saturday night out on the town.
I understand that top-quality restorations must use OEM parts, but a windshield? They routinely crack and are replaced by whatever. There are many companies that custom-make windshields at reasonable prices.
I'm wondering something about the wheels on that one? It looks like they are drum brakes with cooling fins attached directly to the tires. Is that right?
I knew of DBs but can't say I'm familiar with them. What a great restoration of a truly good looking car. When I was a student I ran a flat twin Citroen Dyane with a 435 cc engine delivering about 24bhp. I soon swapped the motor for the more common Citroen 602cc twin giving 32 bhp. Having 50 bhp would have been a blast.
Here's a fact that might interest you if you don't already know it : For the James Bond movie "For your eyes only", there is a car chase scene where Roger Moore drive a 2CV. To get more action out of the scene they needed more power so they swapped the 2CV they used with a Citroen GS flat four engine.
I first saw a Deutsch-Bonnet at the 1983 Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix when I was a kid, and I thought it was the most intriguing car there. I'd love to have one.
First glance showed that they raided the Panhard parts bins for the wheel drums too. Should be cool to drive, The standard 4-door Panhard PL17 could hit well over 80mph with the basic 850cc engine, so with a bit of tuning.....
Saw the headlight bucket in the opening pic and a little signal in the back of my brain went "Deutsch-Bonnet"? Flat air cooled twin was in the dust bin of useless trivia also, but with an old French special that is not a genius level deduction 😏. Cool old car. Neat history also. Always gratifying when the gray matter hits a long dormant connection correctly.
I used to have a Saab 96. The side profile and the doorshape looks a lot like it. Did D.B. borrow the streamline? Saab did have excelent streamline for the day...
I haven't watched this I haven't even watched the advertisement at the beginning of it. I'm going to say it's some sort of Saab. I'm going to comment in another minute or two when I actually find out what it is. Boy was I wrong LOL
DB used to win at LeMans regularly in the late 50s. Maybe into the early 60s. They had what they call an “Index of Performance” Trophy which related to engine size, weight, and miles covered in the 24 hours. This car killed in that class.
Panhard engine……. 🙂 I’m by no means an expert, but a Trabant owner, used to seeing Panhards and it was my first thought….. it shares a design flavour….. two strokes is all it takes for me 🥳🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
They forgot to mention that the crankshaft runs on roller bearings, and the valves are opened and closed via torsion bars - not springs! Revs like crazy and no valve-bounce.
Bet it's easy to forget it's only 50hp. looks like a fun ride on for country back roads
What's valve-bounce? Is that the same thing as valve float? If so, there's no reason why torsion bars would be any more effective than springs, is there? I'm not being a smartass, I'm genuinely curious. I know torsion bars are essentially springs in the Mopars and 4WD GM trucks I know and love, but that's a suspension part and it could be different if it's tiny like valvetrain stuff is. I know Ducati motorcycles and probably some other high-performance applications use cam lobes to both open and close the valves, which make them immune to valve float. I also know that Panhard was VERY innovative.
@@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney It’s been a while since I did schoolboy Physics, but it apparently has something to do with the effect of the changing harmonic resonance of a coil spring as the compression/release frequency increases, (and in high-revving engines that's often negated somewhat by using double valve springs of different tension). As for valve bounce vs valve float - I guess it just depends on who wrote the textbook
Thanks!
🤣🥊🤓
@@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney I’m not an engineer just a retired mechanic. One of the things about coil springs is that resonance can effect them quite a lot. I can imagine that torsion bars,while not immune, would mitigate the issue in some way. The idea has never taken off so perhaps not.
Hand carrying the windshield from Paris to U.S. Now, that's dedication and determination. I can imagine the looks Rich got, and the inevitable close-call, or two. Huge respect.
Honestly am surprised that they let him board with it.
"In Paris they just simply opened their eyes and stared when we spoke to them in French! We never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language."
- Mark Twain
Ford engineers brought an engine from London to Detroit in a Cary on to show how small it is. There are photos online if you Google it.
Windshield flew in first class, while the owner flew economy.
@@darkwood777 so, supposedly things, like guitars and other musical instruments are allowed to fly on board, provided that they buy an extra seat for it to sit in, but in many cases, like United or Delta, they will still force the passenger against their will to check it at the gate anyway, resulting in a destroyed instrument. There have been a few cases of rare vintage instruments valuing more than $10,000 being completely destroyed. This guy got super lucky that the airline was willing to let him do this.
Stumped Dennis twice! Early last Saturday morning (this had just been posted), I was staging my Matra Bonnet at the Hilton Head Concours - my friend sent me this. By 11:00, Dennis strolls by - emcee'd the show. Like virtually everyone who sees it: "What the f*#k is that?" "Dennis - I'm gonna stump you for the second time today!" Told him that my dad was Howard Hanna and my current car is the successor to the DB. We had a great time - I also nabbed Best French Car and a couple of other awards. Same day - another friend notifies me that the new Road and Track has an article about the Matra Bonnet.
James, thanks for dropping this cool additional info. I love RUclips for this very reason.
Ha, wonders never cease, 👍
thats cool.
That's to cool👍🏻😎
Amusing and bewildering to see something so rare for the first time.
Not necessarily @R D I had feelings of anger and regret seeing something so rare for the first time.
The industry is worse off for not having small manufacturers like this these days
Very cool indeed! Been a car guy all my life and never heard of DB.
He forgot to say it's an HBR5 because DB built other cars too. Those are fun to drive, a top speed of almost 100MPH.The suspension is all modified Panhard Dyna Z, easy to duplicate to apply to Dyna X or Z to solve their loose factory design. The rear is super light though so it's quite easy to spin, one of the trick is to lower the rear tire pressure. If you race those, the engine can receive a roots type compressor (super hard to find) or you can punch out the cylinders to 954cc, twin carb, 4 spark plugs (I don't think it's necessary with modern fuel) so you can get rid of that weird and now worn distributor set up, Hi volume oil pump, lightened flywheel, and a cam. One overlooked part are the factory wheels that need to be reinforced so they won't bend in hard turns.
I understand why he had to travel to Paris to get his parts, the main guy selling parts for Panhard and DB refuses to ship anything to anybody no matter where you live on the planet...
Wow,I felt cool that I recognized what it was. You are a serious DB geek 🤓.
Kudos.
@@dennisdose5697 I restore cars for a living, I had the chance (if someone can think it's a chance to work on a warped and craked almost 70 year old fiberglass body) to work on HBR5 with and without the plexiglass roof and LeMans standard and luxe and to drive them too. Did a bunch of Panhard too.
50 HP is close to what the 356 had - but at 2/3 the weight... it should have been a good racer. I am glad that some people have the time and money to put into these rare cars - it is certainly a labor of love.
I was pretty sure I knew what it was from the start. I guess I’ve been watching too much of Jay Leno’s channel 😂. I remember his Panhard episodes where he referenced Duetsch Bonnets as they were based on contemporary Panhard mechanicals.
Great car! Thank you for bringing us the story, Dennis
9
986666688666664
Beautiful car! Looks like the same driveline as the Panhard Dyna. Thanks for sharing!
new one on me, cool car gentlemen
Thank You Dennis for posting this.
Boy you cant get much more obscure than this in complete form. What a treat
Pretty cool seeing these cars we've never heard of before. Pretty impressive that they stayed around as long as they did. Probably all hand-made which is a very difficult manufacturing model to survive in.
That is a handsome little car. A perfect color for it as well.
Dennis, I’m disappointed that you ignored the wheels & brakes. In 1961, Pontiac’s 8-lug wheels copied from Panhard. State of the art drum brakes.
Wow, the windshield all the other stories you must have, handsome looks, and it was a real race car. I dont think Ive ever seen one, so cool really love it
the wheel hubs look like the actual break drums, and they have cooling fins.
As rare as a certain 'moustache'... a nice Saturday morning treat.
Great job Dennis and crew
Very cool car. I love the Trabant 601's, the pre 1968 SAAB inline 3 cylinder 2 stroke and any other 2 stroke micro-car:)-John in Texas
Looks like a Zenith 2 bbl carb? Same used as duals on the early 356 Porsche.
Model 32 NDIX
I think this is the first time I've seen Dennis STUMPED. would be SOOO cool if we could make fun simple vehicles again.
They'd have to be 3-wheelers - since a 3-wheeler is registered as a motorcycle, it need not have all the bulky, heavy safety equipment that a car must.
We can. Nobody wants them. They want living rooms they can sit in "here" and get out of "there".
Emissions aren't a problem anymore. The science is simple enough, affordable and more efficient than any carburetor engine ever. Efficiency equals more power, mileage, reliability and better drivability.
It's the rest of the crap that drives up price of purchase and maintenance.
@@jessestreet2549 it’s pretty much what Baribrotzer said. Regulations prevent manufacturers from even making such vehicles even if they wanted to. They all have to follow modern crash standards, crumble zones, collapsible steering column, three point seatbelts, headrests, airbags, the A B and C pillars on classic cars would never be approved of today. Lots of standard. There was one in the late 90s involving the doors, which killed off a lot of coupes. Similar to when regulations wanted to ban convertibles.
Now then, what people want us also dictated by these regulations as many don’t apply to trucks or SUVs. Emissions was one. The new EV law will be another. You want to buy an ICE vehicle in 2035, you’re buying a truck or SUV, which many people already do.
@@UmmYeahOk old materials, old tech and old ways of thinking. agreed that classic cars are deathtraps. time for new "classics".
the presently insurmountable problem is the stunning incompetence of the average driver. advancing technology will render that moot by reducing the driver to a passenger . all the fun will be gone too.
i rode motorcycles for about 25 years and only felt unsafe when cars were present. hell, i feel unsafe in my hulking F250 with other cars nearby.
regulations will probably eliminate motorcycles too.
I would appreciate them making beautiful cars again and not those overly-aggressive looking ones which have a front look like your wife's when you come home on Sunday evening after a Saturday night out on the town.
Beautiful car! What a magnificent thing. I could only wish we'd heard it run in this video
I used to race against a DB in New Jersey in my Mini 850. Harry Schneider was the fellows name and I don’t think I ever beat him.
That's probably the one I saw also in the NJ trials. I was running a Mustang, GT-350, an Abarth OTS1000 and then a Corvair
I probably saw him with the DB at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix in the 80s. In fact it did have NJ Antique plates on it.
I understand that top-quality restorations must use OEM parts, but a windshield? They routinely crack and are replaced by whatever. There are many companies that custom-make windshields at reasonable prices.
I've been an exotic car mechanic since the very early 70s... never heard of this one.. 2 cylinder 850cc... raw power.. WOW... beautiful car
So it's like a Moto Guzzi T3 or Eldorado. Which are not particularly fast motorcycles but weigh half as much as this car.
Meh. Not beautiful, that's for sure
Those rims. 😍
Love that color combo, reminds me of the Nimbus Grey Audi TTRS Final Edition I've been trying to get my hands on! Also extremely rare. Very cool car.
never seen or heard of it!
And This Is Why We Subscribed!💯
We need cars like this, not suvs
How very Antiques Roadshow this is
NICE!!!!!!!
I'm wondering something about the wheels on that one? It looks like they are drum brakes with cooling fins attached directly to the tires. Is that right?
Exactly right! The 5 bolts on the outer rim removes just the "wheel"
Just a completely different way of doing something. French.
Inspired 1961 Pontiac 8-Lug wheels.
Dennis closed the loop at the award platform for the crowd with the H. Hanna DB story and the J. Hanna Matra Bonnet story - lots of fun!
Now that is one cool 😎 car 🚙
WOW! Amazing Auto 👍👍👍
The rear looks like a Saab 96 of 1965...especially the rear.
I think it's gorgeous
That's such a cool car, nice job! Thanks Dennis!
I knew of DBs but can't say I'm familiar with them. What a great restoration of a truly good looking car. When I was a student I ran a flat twin Citroen Dyane with a 435 cc engine delivering about 24bhp. I soon swapped the motor for the more common Citroen 602cc twin giving 32 bhp. Having 50 bhp would have been a blast.
Here's a fact that might interest you if you don't already know it :
For the James Bond movie "For your eyes only", there is a car chase scene where Roger Moore drive a 2CV. To get more action out of the scene they needed more power so they swapped the 2CV they used with a Citroen GS flat four engine.
No. You Weren't Stumped.
You're Right. It's a Car. Good Job 😅 👍
Dennis never gets stumped. This is the king of obscure
I found one here in Maine around '83, but didn't have the $1,500 to buy it.
Finally a DB on RUclips
Yes. Very cool!
Very cool. We need more things like this in our lives
The French Porsche destroyer
I first saw a Deutsch-Bonnet at the 1983 Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix when I was a kid, and I thought it was the most intriguing car there. I'd love to have one.
First glance showed that they raided the Panhard parts bins for the wheel drums too. Should be cool to drive, The standard 4-door Panhard PL17 could hit well over 80mph with the basic 850cc engine, so with a bit of tuning.....
Saw the headlight bucket in the opening pic and a little signal in the back of my brain went "Deutsch-Bonnet"?
Flat air cooled twin was in the dust bin of useless trivia also, but with an old French special that is not a genius level deduction 😏.
Cool old car. Neat history also. Always gratifying when the gray matter hits a long dormant connection correctly.
small is beautiful
I used to have a Saab 96.
The side profile and the doorshape looks a lot like it.
Did D.B. borrow the streamline? Saab did have excelent streamline for the day...
Pretty little car and verrrry French.
I haven't watched this I haven't even watched the advertisement at the beginning of it. I'm going to say it's some sort of Saab. I'm going to comment in another minute or two when I actually find out what it is.
Boy was I wrong LOL
Sweet car and a great story!
leave it to the french to build something so different they still do today!
I really like the color.
First time I ever heard someone pronounce Deutsch Bonnet.
Thanks for being you Dave, great job with your car and amazing to see it here on RUclips!!!
Thanks Mr. Dennis.
Never heard of D.B.
I bet that car is fun to drive. French engineers built some inovative vehicles.
Great color.
👍👍
‘A 6’’ diameter tube running through the central tunnel is all the structure it has’ - genius!🎉
If you look closely at D.B badge in the B there looks like a love hart in the middle. Nice car good work
As someone who likes to learn new stuff about cars every day, this is cool.
Panhard engine and running gear. Very distinctive wheels, a lovely car.
The hubs are the drum brakes (with fins for aircooling) , so the rims are quite literally just rims bolted to the brakes. All saves weight.
@@1258-Eckhart Clever idea! That would improve the unsprung weight ratio too, which is always good for road handling.
2:45 This shot makes it look like a big toy or model car, it's that small!
🤗😎 VERY SWEET 🍯 RIDE, THANKS FOR SHARING 💚💚💚
DB used to win at LeMans regularly in the late 50s. Maybe into the early 60s. They had what they call an “Index of Performance” Trophy which related to engine size, weight, and miles covered in the 24 hours. This car killed in that class.
Until the Lotus Elite came along
Super post....thanks for the Share! Really cool Car!
Beautiful car.
Front wheel drive racing car intersting well french do everything differently.
Panhard engine……. 🙂
I’m by no means an expert, but a Trabant owner, used to seeing Panhards and it was my first thought….. it shares a design flavour….. two strokes is all it takes for me 🥳🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Rear/side view reminds me a bit of early Saabs
Looks like a Nissan from the front and an Aston Martin from the back.
Really great unusual car. Thanks for posting
In the 1960's I lived in the Crenshaw District of Los Angeles and a neighbor actually had a Deutsch Bonnet
its built on a panhard platform , is pretty much a panhard
you have done a fine job restoring that car, very nice.
This guy used to live off of the same r road so me when I wasgrowing up, he always rolled by my bus stop in a really neat car, convertible
850cc making 50 hp in the early 1960s, that is nothing to scoff at imo. Very neat little piece of history
Very cool. There was a local Citroen guy who had one in his garage. No idea if it ran or not. I understand he sold it and I think it went to France.
Like this a lot.
A friend of mine has an HBR in the UK.
It is a superb little piece of kit and brilliant fun.
I had a friend with one of those, was really weird
That park is near me. Has some great shows there😁
Fly to France a few times for sourcing of project parts, tough life bud!
They talk about it in the video but first thing what came to mind after he told he restored it was where the holy hell did he get the parts
Vert, very interesting car. Thanks for the video. Really enjoyed it.
The Word!
Now we know where Aston got the idea for the body on their DB5! I can see a little carerra in there too, if I squint
that was a good one!
Dr Mark Brinker has class speed records at Bonneville with one of these. I knew what it was in the thumbnail as soon as i saw it.
This is AMAZING!!! Thank you so much for sharing!
Dude,change the name of your programs to My Classic Moustache.
🤣🤣
What a great car. The wheel hubs and brakes need some explanations. Cheers
She Is Kinda pretty.