Panhard DX86 MM Allemano

Vehicle Overview

The Panhard DX86 MM by Allemano was a limited-production competition automobile constructed between 1952 and 1953 on the basis of the Panhard Dyna X86 chassis. The model was developed in Italy by Carrozzeria Allemano of Turin, with bodywork designed by Giovanni Michelotti. The “MM” designation refers to the car’s intended use in the Mille Miglia and similar endurance events. A total of three barchetta examples and six closed coupé variants were constructed, all based on the lightweight Dyna platform imported from France. The chassis employed was the Panhard Dyna X86, a tubular steel structure with a front-wheel-drive configuration. The engine was a 745 cc air-cooled flat-twin, featuring hemispherical combustion chambers and a central overhead camshaft. In MM specification, with revised carburetion and weight reduction, the engine produced approximately 36 to 40 horsepower. Transmission was a four-speed manual unit with synchromesh on upper ratios. Suspension was independent at all four corners, with torsion bars front and rear, and braking was by hydraulic drums. The barchetta body was formed in aluminum over a light framework and adhered to period competition requirements. The body featured open cycle wings, a low-cut cockpit, exposed fuel filler, and simplified lighting. The design prioritized aerodynamic efficiency and serviceability. The coupé version, built in slightly larger numbers, presented a fastback configuration with steel and aluminum panelwork and minimal trim. Both variants were produced with racing-oriented weight considerations. Chassis number 475.810 corresponds to the only surviving MM barchetta, built for Gastone Crepaldi’s Scuderia ItalFrance and entered in the Mille Miglia of 1952 and again in 1954. It is believed to have been the only MM variant to complete both events. Two coupé versions survive in private European collections, with other examples presumed lost. The Panhard DX86 MM by Allemano represents a rare convergence of French engineering and postwar Italian coachbuilding practice. It reflects the experimental period of micro-displacement endurance racing and the adaptability of front-wheel-drive platforms for sporting purposes. Its scarcity, technical configuration, and documented competition history place it within the narrower lineage of postwar European lightweight racing vehicles.