When Adolphe Clément as chairman of the Board of Directors of Panhard-Levassor and project leader, saw the factory could not meet the production requirements for circa 500 units of that new model, he undertook manufacture under licence at his factory in Levallois-Perret under the name of Voiture Clément-Panhard (VCP).

A second toothed wheel mounted on the steering spindle is connected to the first one by means of a chain passing through these two tubes.

Elastic rods, consisting for example of coiled springs, are substituted for the links of the chain in the straightportions of the said tuges.

The axle of the fore-carriage is situated behind the projection of the axis of the pivot pin in order to ensure the stability of direction above referred to [of a quantity which can vary from 1/7 to 1/8 of the distance which separates the points of contact of the two front wheels with the ground].

[2]You would kindly give us permission to use your wheel hub system for which, since you say it is very good, it might be worth patenting.

[1]In 1896 A. C. Krebs intended to design a car system simple, reliable, aesthetic and secure for beginners.

With the central pivot axle the intention of A. C. Krebs is double: One may wonder why this arrangement, generally considered defective for high-speed cars, was adopted for this cart.

This is due to the fact that the manufacturer had above all in view to establish a car of a moderate price, essentially maneuverable, able to make turns on the spot and never having to exceed the speed of 30 kilometers per hour.

This steering principle is identical : The swivel pin extending up from the front, axle for carrying the front end of the vehicle body, is connected to the axle spring by a bracket pivoted horizontally to the spring, and the swivel pin is slightly inclined backward at its upper end so that a downward extension of its axial line will pass at a slight angle in front of the wheel axle.

C. Krebs generalizes his metallic wheel hub system to the entire Panhard & Levassor range.

A low, open, two-seater car, engine in the back, well made to show off, with a lady by its side.

The suspension consists of a front transverse leaf spring, which accommodates the vertical steering pin and rotates with the complete front axle when steering, and a pair of longitudinally arranged elliptic springs on the rear axle.

In 1900 variants were added that had a narrow rear-facing seat, making it a three-seater in a vis-à-vis arrangement.

To prove the robustness of the Clément-Panhards, in July 1901 John Stirling broke the record for crossing the United Kingdom from John-O'-Groat's to Land's End in 59 hours and 15 minutes.