DB HBR 5
| DB HBR 5 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | DB (Deutsch-Bonnet) |
| Also called | DB Coach DB HBR 4 |
| Production | 1955–1961 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | sports car |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 745 cc Panhard boxer 2 (HBR 4) 848 cc Panhard boxer 2 954 cc Panhard boxer 2 |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,130 mm (84 in) |
| Length | 3,950 mm (156 in) |
| Width | 1,580 mm (62 in) |
| Height | 1,340 mm (53 in) 1,190 mm (47 in) (Super Rallye) |
| Curb weight | 584 kg (1,287 lb) (Super Rallye) |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | CD Dyna |
The HBR 5 model (1954–1959) was Deutsch and Bonnet's (DB) most successful project to date, with several hundred of the cars produced until 1959. Another small series of lowered and lightened cars called "Super Rallye" occurred in 1960 and 1961. Around 660 of the Mille Miles, Coach, and HBR 4/5s were built in total. Other sources (a count by the DB-Panhard clubs of France, Germany, Switzerland, and the US) account for 950 DB coupés, of which nearly all would be HBRs and their Frua-designed predecessors.
A very few Antem-built Coaches (coupés) were built in aluminium in 1952, mostly for competition purposes. Most of the Antem-bodied DB road cars were cabriolets.
This early feeler from DB was succeeded by the steel-bodied Frua-designed coupé "Mille Miles" (celebrating class victories at the Mille Miglia) was a mini-GT with a 65 hp 850 cc Panhard two-cylinder. It was of rather square-rigged appearance, with a split windshield, a low grille, and three portholes on the fenders. A 750 cc version was also offered, with available supercharging. 32 of the DB-Frua (also referred to as the Mille Miles) were built, from October 1952 until the end of 1953.
The HBR was first introduced as the "DB Coach" at the 1954 Paris Salon, with production beginning in January 1955. An earlier prototype with a body made of Duralinox (an aluminium-magnesium alloy) had been shown at the 1953 Paris Salon, but productionising the car took some time. The early Chausson designs received retractable headlamps and often the front portion of the roof is plexiglass. This plexiglass sunroof, with a removable inner cover, continued to be available throughout the HBR's life. Chausson built the fibreglass body; this was considered an experience-gaining effort and DB was charged a very modest per-unit price. The first hundred interim cars were built by Chausson, after which, experiment over, they sold the tooling to Deutsch and Bonnet themselves. They in turn turned the equipment over to another bodybuilding company which proceeded to sell the finished bodies to DB, meaning DB got into the car manufacturing business at a minimal cost. The first Coach/HBR had a 50 CV (37 kW) version of the 848 cc Panhard Dyna engine, with twin Solex carburettors. Early models, show cars in particular, also often exhibited luxurious equipment with lots of chrome and two-tone paintjobs.
Until about 1957 the shift pattern (cable actuated) of the four-speed gearbox was offset by ninety degrees from the norm.
About 430 of the standard HBR 5 were built, complemented in 1960 and 1961 by another ten "HBR 5 Super Rallye"s - these were essentially chopped and sectioned competition versions of the "regular" HBR 5. Later versions could be equipped with engines of 1 and 1.3 litres, and superchargers were also available. As with most DBs, excepting the early Citroën-engined cars, the HBRs were all equipped with modified Panhard flat-two engines and other technology. The HBR 5 was the second fibreglass-bodied car to have entered series production, if such a thing can indeed be said about any of DB's products - no two cars may have been alike, as they were built according to customer specifications from a wide range of options.
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