Alright, let’s not jump to conclusions, it’s on a flatbed but that doesn’t necessarily mean it needs anything. Ian Kennedy saw this wonderful sight in the San Francisco area and posted the shots at the CC Cohort for us to enjoy. So let’s do just that…
I’m no Peugeot Savant beyond knowing this is obviously a 504 and looks to be a later model but even that I’m not completely positive about. The wheels are the seldom seen alloys and are even more seldomly seen this clean. The car has the rear fog light and the front lights from a european car so it likely was brought over here, the fairly recent California license plate is another possible hint in that regard (but not an absolute).
I’ve never noticed the two little square tubes that poke out from the rear lower valance before, they sort of look like the jacking ports on VW’s but there they are on the sides, not the rear. No badges on the back besides the Peugeot trunklid one, so no idea if it’s a Diesel or not. The small chrome bumpers are nice to see here though.
In any case it’s clean, looks very well kept, has lovely modifications or at least a comprehensive original foreign spec level, and someone has a wonderfully riding and distinctive car that is itself going for a ride somewhere on this fine day.
Bonjour, Madame, and have a very nice day!
Related Reading:
A heartfelt tribute to the 504
Paul’s CC on the 1976 504 and its juxtaposition around the world
GN’s Vintage Reviews of 1970 and 1971 models
Roger Carr finds a 504 Diesel for sale in Seattle
A great COAL regarding a 504 Diesel Wagon
The headlights tell me this was originally a European-delivered car, but it’s possible they were retrofitted to a US-spec car.
It is well-kept indeed and befitting the pleasant suburban area noted on the side of the flatbed truck. That is not an area where old cars are kept to junker status because the owners can’t afford anything else.
And I am NOT posting comments too quickly.
Looks like another immigrant to Northern California. I’m on the Dumbarton Bridge maybe once every four years so I can’t tell if it is headed west towards Menlo Park or east towards Newark. Livermore Valley, Tri-Valley and the surrounding Menlo Park, Palo Alto (Stanford) and Atherton region could all support such a nice car. Although I can find junkers passing through East Palo Alto and in the Livermore Valley.
I think this is headed east on 84 towards Newark, Fremont, before I-880. I recognize the buildings to the right.
Nope I took the pix. They start on the Newark side and end on the Menlo Park side juuuust before the Facebook building.
Even though the general appereance is that of a European car, the side markers are not. How was the Canadian legislation about those?
There are other hints. American 504s at some point in time got a relocated fuel door, and this car has the original one. Then again, around 1973 the French 504s got new flush door handles, which this car doesn’t have.
As for the squares under the rear bumper, I can tell you that the Argentinian version had a somewhat different profile there, but there was a similar structure.
I’d bet for a ’68 to ’71 American or Canadian market car that had its lights changed to European spec.
Whatever the year and origin, this looks just great.
This is an early, pre-1975 model, when the door handles were changed to a flush pull out model. The rims are not original for this era (early 70ies). I suspect they come from an early 80ies model 505.
The recent California plate is another hint that this is a pre-1975 model. Anything 1975 or newer needs to pass California’s emissions test to be registered there, even if it’s legal to import to the US under the 25 year rule. And I strongly suspect a European spec car wouldn’t pass. Anything pre-1975 is exempt from emissions testing and can be registered relatively easily.
The rims are from a 505 but looks very well
Agreed with all points made:
small bumpers=pre 1974 but could be added
push button door handles=pre 1974, these would be hard to install after the fact
lights= eurospec but could be added to a US car
rims=Amils from a 505, not stock but not unusual
no badges=repainted
new cali license plate=perhaps brought in from out of state
at any rate, very nice, a real survivor and a rare find even in Cali!
Earlier 504 front indicators have white on the sides and amber in the middle, later models have it the other way around. At least European cars.
Looks to me like a European 504 where they retro fitted the US side lights.
No vent on C pillar: 1970 or 1969 model. Canadian gas powered 504s had the trapezoidal headlights from September 1974 through 1979. So no, these headlights were not standard fitment to the Canadian 1970 model. 1970 and 1969 models had the 1.8 litre engine.
I’ll try to look out for this car as I do drive through that “Tri-Valley” area occasionally. What an amazing trove of 504 knowledge here on CC. And it is yet another car that I have driven and had forgotten about, a memory triggered by its presence here. It was a ‘68 or ‘69, one of three 4-on-the-tree cars I’ve piloted.
It was heading towards Menlo Park or cities north of that.
These old lovelies didn’t have badging beyond 504 front and rear, unless diesel or automatique, when those words would be present in flowing script, so my guess is a petrol manual. It also has the early low-back seats, making for a very uncluttered glasshouse. Quite why the US-style side markers are there is indeed a mystery.
I’ll be kind and say it wasn’t broken down. On this day. But I will say that that very chunky truck under it will make it accelerate at a quicker rate than it ever could without it, particularly if it is still a 1.8 litre.
But I’d far rather be in the Pug sans truck once it was wound up and cruising at 75 or so. A lovely way to do long distances.
Hmm, that’s good point about the non-diesel manual but wouldn’t the stick petrol model still have a GL badge on the back? Also those front seats appear to have no headrests, or more likely the recessed headrests from pre-1974 at least in the US.
No, I reckon the GL badge didn’t turn up till about ’77 or so, with some minor visual changes. The only other variations I can recall are that injected models got an injection badge on the bootlid, and a Ti or the posher LTi badge on the back panel. The recessed headrests is what I meant. Later there were non-recessed seats, then the tombstone ones.
All this, ofcourse, is for Australian models, but I’m fairly sure in terms of early stuff, our locally assembled ones were badged consistently with O/S ones.
I have become a fan of these over the years. But. I still cannot get past that odd and abrupt drop at the tail end. But then you wouldn’t see that from the driver’s seat.
For me the best feature of this model.
Like the little bump in the roof of the wagon.
Pininfarina at his best.
From the 3/4 front view that bump is elegant (see Jan Goethals above). From the 3/4 rear view its a bit awkward. But it is unique and pretty tame by french car standards. I like it too.
They look very much at their best as here, very plain, no side trim or rubber. As they aged, they developed fairly unsightly rubbery additions here and there, (but then, don’t we all?)
So sometimes they look elegant, other times, a bit stodgy, and the bendy backside doesn’t really help either way, so I can never settle on liking them or being a bit indifferent.
For driving, though, I’d love to try an injected 2 litre manual, for some pace to match the wondrous ride and handling. (Never an auto – maybe I drove a dud, but it was stupidly underpowered).
I think I saw this very same 504 parked in a driveway on Pleasants Valley Road in Vacaville while riding my bike. It had a French license plate in the front and Euro headlamps. I remember these 504s as the 2 black ones pursuing 007’s out-horsepowered 2CV in For Your Eyes Only.
Ha! Not the same car but a close cousin. The car in Vacaville is my ’74 504 GL automatique, US model with eurospec lights and the French plate I added because it looked right. Small world Love my 504, its mechanically solid and someday will get a paint job as good as the one on the tow truck. Its temporarily parked outside and I was hoping that it would make the ride for the many bicyclists around here more interesting. have the sheep in the front pasture now too so lots to look at from the road. Im frequently outside Yoshi, give me a wave
The power of Curbside Classic to bring casual observers of CCs and their owners together – I am astounded. I am actually from Menlo Park and like challenging myself to ride up Mix Canyon – one of the most insanely steep hills I’ve climbed, and then up Cantelow Rd. with a rest stop at Steady Eddy’s in Winters. Your 504 has certainly made my ride an interesting one and I’d like to stop and chat if you’re in the driveway.
I just ran across this car on BringATrailer…
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1970-peugeot-504/