About Us - Les Amis de Panhard et Deutsch Bonnet USA
By André Garnier
The first newsletter came out in February,1963. It was written by Jack Keohane, who
was in charge of everything for the club. We used my business address, French Car Sales
and Service, 25 Clyde Street, Buffalo, 15, New York. Back then, we called the club “A
Registry” and all the cars were new.
Jack was the President and founder, and I was then the Vice President and helper. We
attracted a group of DB owners first and then we got some Panhard owners, as the cars
became more popular.
Some years ago, at the yearly meeting of the Federation des Clubs Panhard, I did
announce that our club was the oldest Panhard club in existence. A lady, sitting around
the big table, popped up from her seat, like a ‘jack in the box’. She was highly insulted
and very unpleasant. She exclaimed, “How dare we, in this country, make a claim like
this?” She was the President of “Les Doyennes de Panhard et Levassor”, which registers
pre-war Panhards. She told us in no uncertain terms, “This makes you number 2!”
Current Report
The life of the club has ebbed and flowed over the years from very little participation to
quite a bit. The challenge for a small club like this in a country as large as the United
States is bringing everyone together over huge distances. Get-togethers at regional
events such as the Pittsburgh Vintage car races, Carlyle Import Car Show and various
regional Citroën Rendezvous have been about the best we have done so far. The
newsletters and the web site have been the key to keeping the spirit of the club strong
lately.
By John A. Peterson
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