1953 Panhard delights at the 80th Members' Meeting
A surprise entry into this year’s 20-minute Tony Gaze Trophy race for road-going sports and GT cars – raced between 1948 and 1954 – at the 80th Members’ Meeting presented by Audrain Motorsport was a 1953 Panhard Junior. A front-wheel-drive French Racing Blue bathtub on wheels, powered by a screaming air-cooled 745cc twin-pot motor.
In its original ‘dans son jus’ battle scared condition, the tiny Panhard is a Goodwood debutant, recently imported from the USA after a long and very successful motor racing career. The Panhard was originally bought and imported into the United States by celebrated 1950s American singer and actor Bing Crosby for his son to race.
The car competed with Dennis Skitzki behind the wheel at Atlanta, Summit Point, Sebring, Watkins Glen, Palm Beach, and a host of other famous American circuits, beating much more powerful opposition from Maserati, Ferrari and so on.
North West-based Paul MacDougall imported the quirky French roadster into the UK last year, asking keen young Wrexham racer Dyna Morgan to drive it. Ryan had never seen a Dyna Junior before and he drove it for the very first time in the 2022 Gold Cup at Oulton Park.
Ryan Morgan says that the Panhard "is the best car to drive, putting a huge smile on your face. It rolls, bangs, and has to be driven flat out all of the time as I drive it to race, not just make up the numbers."
Not only is the characterful Panhard a newbie to Goodwood, but Ryan is too, he wasn't expecting an invitation (with a suitable car) to compete at the celebrated Motor Circuit. Prior to his outing in the Tony Gaze Trophy, Ryan had only driven around it once, slowly anti-clockwise in a motor home.
80MM
Members Meeting
Panhard
Tony Gaze Trophy
