For most Americans, Peugeot isn’t exactly a household word, unless they’re still using their trusty Peugeot pepper mill. It may have sorta-kinda been one back in the day, mainly on the coasts. But ever since Peugeot packed up their bags and did a voluntary deportation, the name has been sliding into automotive obscurity. Most car buffs can at least make an association with the classic lineage of RWD Peugeots that were sold here, the 403, 404, 504 and 505. The sharper ones will even remember the 604. But who remembers the 304? The sweet little FWD sedan and wagon that was sold stateside for all of two years (1971 and 1972)? I do! And rather fondly, at that.
In order to get to know the 304, one has to be first introduced to the 204, its slightly smaller but older sibling. Since WW2, Peugeot had essentially built just one line of cars, a series of roomy (for Europe), comfortable, and rugged RWD sedans, wagons and commercial chassis, starting with the 1948 203 (and even the pre-war 202). But a one-size/one model strategy was not going to work in an increasingly fragmented market forever, so in the early sixties, Peugeot developed its first FWD car, the 204.
Probably the biggest influence on Peugeot’s decision as to how to build the 204 came from the advanced Issigonis FWD cars at BMC, especially the ADO16 (Austin/Morris 1100). As the European middle class became more affluent, new cars that could accommodate their specific needs and desires, which included a delicate balance of performance, ride, room and economy, clearly pointed the way to FWD.
The 204 arrived in 1965 to great anticipation, as this was a giant step for conservative Peugeot. As was the case for all Peugeots for decades, its styling was by Pininfarina, and a quite successful one at that. The 204’s front end styling was clearway a scaled-down version as used on Pininfarina’s Cadillac Jacqueline coupe,, as was its rear end too, for that matter.
The 204 was powered by a transverse alloy SOHC four with 1127cc, and similarly to the BMC FWD units, had its gearbox and differential directly below the engine, sharing the same sump. The 204 was an instant success, and widely praised for its ability to provide relatively roomy accommodations, that famous French ride and comfort, and good performance and economy. And it did that while still maintaining that certain Peugeot-ness. A very advanced car without looking like it came from another planet.
The 204 came in a full range of body styles, including the popular Break (station wagon). With FWD, its cargo area was deep and surprisingly roomy, given that the 204 was all of 157 inches long (3990 mm).
Peugeot had a long tradition of offering coupe and cabriolet versions of its cars, and the 204 was not excluded from that. The coupe, which obviously used the sedan’s front clip, was a dashing little number.
Of course, the Cabriolet was even pricier, but it was still a relatively affordable way to have a genuine Pininfarina-designed Grand Luxe convertible.
As successful as the 204 was, Peugeot saw there was another gap in the market just above it. So the 304 was created, essentially by stretching the 204, mostly at the rear. The whole passenger compartment was retained, and the front end got a slight extension. Trunk space was the single biggest beneficiary, but it made the 304 look a bit more grown up, as well as more similar to the new 504, which arrived about the same time (1969) as the 304. Someone has already made this composite image, so the changes are quite apparent.
They both looked largely the same under the hood, but the 304 engine had more displacement, 1288cc, and 60 or 70 hp. Peugeot had already unveiled its baby diesel engine in the 204, a pioneering car ten years ahead of the Diesel Golf, and the 304 also got a version, with 1357 cc and 45 hp, about the same as the first of the VWs.
The front end of this US-spec 304, with its quad sealed beam headlights instead of the European composites, does look just like a slightly smaller 504. As noted previously, the 304 was offered in the US for only two years, 1971 and 1972.
The 304 was the wrong car at the wrong time for the US. If it had come along just two year later, in 1973, the energy crisis might have done its sales some significant favors. But in 1971, the demand for a small FWD French sedan was just not there, given that at its price ($2625), there were bigger cars to be had. The 504 had a hard time enough, until its diesel engine suddenly made it a small-scale rock star of the energy crisis.
It’s interesting to speculate whether a 304 diesel on offer in the US during the energy crisis (and its wake) might have made it a genuine success. But once Peugeot pulled the 304 from the market after 1972, they weren’t about to try and find out.
When I arrived in Los Angeles in 1977 and entered my own Peugeot 404 mania, I came quite close to adding one of these 304s to my growing collection. There were a number of these floating around West LA at the time, starting to suffer the effects of neglect and abuse, although there was competent service available for them, if one wanted it. There was a cute little stand-alone Peugeot dealer in Santa Monica, right on Ocean Avenue, facing the Pacific. Its days were numbered, for more reasons than one. And Andre’s French Car Service was on one of the major boulevards in West LA too; he could fix anything French. I just learned to fix my own, and the local junk yards had lots of Pugs at the time. And I could walk down to the dealer in Santa Monica for parts.
The 304 had a decidedly Gallic atmosphere inside as well, with comfortable seats and a bit of quirkiness, although nothing like a Citroen, Peugeot’s polar opposite on the French automotive personality spectrum. These 304s were available for cheap at the time, and I drove one once briefly, and it seduced me with its charms. But I resisted, wisely; having swapped out a few engines on 404s, one look under the hood told me that it would be a totally different ball game. I guess I wasn’t ready for FWD yet.
I was particularly attracted to the Break, which had the same rear end as the 204 wagon.
There were also coupe and cabrio versions of the 304 (not sold in the US), essentially just the 204 versions with the new 304 front end and zippier engines. This 304 Cabrio was posted at the Cohort and Perry Shoar wrote it up. The 204 sedan and wagon version soldiered on for some years after the 304 arrived, all the way until 1976.
The 304 had a full decade of life, until it was replaced by the 305 in 1980. Some 1.2 million 304 were built, and the 204 and 304 catapulted Peugeot from number four to number two in France. This was a very successful brand extension for Peugeot, and led to even smaller cars, like the 104.
In 1972 or so, the 304 was given a modified roof, squared off at the C Pillar to give a bit more headroom, make egress easier, and make it look a bit more contemporary.
This particular 1971 304 is a classic LA car, with almost no rust anywhere after all these decades. The ad is here, and the asking price is $2900. Am I tempted? No. But if anyone ever wanted a US-spec 304 without rust, this would be worth a closer look. I seriously doubt there’s many others like it left, if any at all. A true survivor.
Related reading:
CC: Peugeot 504 CC: Peugeot 404 CC: Peugeot 305 CC: 304 Cabrio
I think the most important aspect is how important the 204/304 was for Peugeots survival. It was not only selling well, it was also very profitable. I don’t know what years, but some years it was the best selling car in France. It was the profit from this car that made Peugeot the most profitable car maker in France. It was what made them able to eventually buy out Citroen, which has never been a profitable business in its entire history.
And I think it’s interesting, because you often get the impression that the French loved quirky for quirky’s sake. Like the Deux Cheveaux. Seen from that perspective, one could say that what they really wanted was a slightly conservative but dependable transport. It simply hit the sweet spot of middle class demographics. And the competition didn’t really have anything in that sector, at least of all Citroen.
Between the 2CV and the DS, there was only the AMI. And it wasn’t really taken seriously even in its lifetime. Built upon 2CV technology that was twenty years old at that time. Quirky yes, but beautiful it wasn’t. Between the rear engined Simca 1000 and the more traditionally bourgoisie 1300/1500, Simca had their best selling 1100. But that was four door hatchback or wagon only, they had no sedan. Renault had their old rear engined 8/10, built upon the Dauphine and 4CV from 15-20 years earlier. And the 12 or 16 was much larger. In that regard, Peugeot really hit the sweet spot with this one.
Thanks for the additional perspective. Yes, the 204/304 found a very successful niche in the market, and one that they exploited fully.
And which was essentially the polar opposite of its experience in the US: there was no apparent niche for it there. In 1971-1972, one could buy a similar-sized Toyota Corona or Datsun 510 for significantly less money and not worry about parts or service, at least in much of the country.
Looks too much like too many other cars. Austin Marina, Austin 1800, Renault R12 on the outside, R10 on the inside, a bit of Ford on the side, a bit of Rolls on the front fender, even some 1960 Edsel on the back.
I thought there was something familiar about the early 304 side view, 1st Gen Ford Falcon!
+1. Apparently the Corvair didn’t have a monopoly on international influence.
Really? Pininfarina was a major influence for car design. The designs were successful and he used the design elements over and over. Others cribbed of him and I am sure he cribbed himself here and there. There is nothing new about that.
I do not see how the R12 figures into this list of similarities. I find the R12 rather unique with its rising roof line and dropping off deck.
Could try selling it back to the French?. Looking at their classic car mags the demard is there.
I was proud owner of 2 Peugeot 10 speed bikes !! For a while Peugeots were famous for their bikes in the U.S. Not sure if they still are.
Cycle Peugeot lost their appeal with the advance of Japanese bikes, then the Japanese bikes lost out to Taiwanese production. The French bike industry was holding on too long to French components. It was a matter of French national pride. They used Simplex and Mafag for example, whereas the Japanese used their own Shimano, Suntour, Sugino and Dia-Compe products. some of these Japanese products were direct copies of European components.
But Frenchness at times was in name only. Cycle Gitane used Sugino crank sets with their own name cast in them.
Now Shimano is the 800lbs gorilla in cycle components. and China is the the place for mass produced frames. You can find any label on those.
If I’ve got the story correctly, Peugeot sold off the bicycle division, then bought it back again, and has either restarted production (France only) or is about to restart production.
Peugeots were the finest French bicycle made, only Gitane came close, and their paint jobs didn’t hold a candle to Peugeot. As to keeping French components, they did so because at the time the French components were better performing than the Japanese, with the possible exception of Sun Tour derailleurs. Unfortunately for the French, the Japanese geared up for true mass production better, and Shimano did the mass production and marketing better than anyone other Japanese make.
Nice little cars and a good write-up, thanks! To my eyes, and perhaps due to the angle of the shot, the first picture really makes it look like an early Audi 100, especially the further rearward the eye travels.
Cool little car. Sort of a French Jetta, 9 years ahead of VW. I always liked the ’74 504 Sedan a friends parent’s had. Smooth riding and great seats, although really slow with it’s gas engine and automatic trans. Don’t recall ever seeing one of these, but living in LA at the time I’m sure a few must have crossed my path. A diesel version a couple of years later may have turned out to be a decent selling car, at least on the west and east coast. The listing is already removed, sounds like it has a new home now.
Ive seen a couple of these RHD so I guess they sold here new high tariffs on European cars would have priced them fairly high allowing British manufacturers to rule the roost during that era with only a trickle of Japanese cars on our market.
I had Peugeot 504’s throughout the 1990’s, and I would have liked to have a 304—if only they’d been sold in the US longer and I’d thought parts would be easier to get. It also didn’t help matters that when Road & Track tested a 304, they said it had terrible brake fade: 250% increase in pedal effort in their standard fade test.
During the ‘90s there was an immaculate green 304 wagon that I sometimes saw around the corner of 20th and Market in Seattle’s Ballard district.
Trivia question: What did the 304 and the Chevy Corvair have in common?
I have no idea what they had in common but now I’m dying to know!
Four wheels, on each corner one!
Seriously: both had a V-belt that made a 90 degree turn to serve the fan.
Bingo! That didn’t take long! 🙂 The 304 had the radiator in conventional position behind the grille, with the fan behind it, but a belt-driven, not electric, fan. The belt passed over the crankshaft pulley, the fan pulley, and 2 idler pulleys.
My French-car mechanic, who serviced my 504’s, nailed this one instantly, but he had the advantage of being familiar with 304’s also.
I had to come over the big pond to see a Corvair in the metal. At a local Roll-In a gentleman was eager enough to open the hood for me and this feature was the first thing I noticed.—–Do I get a T-shirt?
French cars have always been quirky, but these look quite nice. Well-styled, with a lot of advanced features like 4-wheel suspension, front disc brakes and a nicely finished interior at a time when companies like AMC were selling el strippo Hornets with all drums and that awful church pew bench seat. I wonder what reliability was really like though? That, and scarce parts probably made these an iffy choice for many potential buyers.
They were very reliable and the engines were capable of very high miles. That said we need to compare to their contemporaries. At that time exhaust systems were the bread and butter of repair shops. Ignitions needed their points replaced, plugs were copper only and carburetors needed adjustments. Which car did not in the 70’s? Besides, 70’s Detroit/Dearborn Iron was not known for dependability.
I wonder about air conditioning. Was factory air conditioning available in these?
I’d doubt it. I don’t think the car had the power to spare.
i own a 1973 304 s coupe in yellow. she is 50 years old and i only use her on sunny days,take her to classic car shows etc. a very reliable little car even now. i believe the coupes are extremely rare in the uk where i live. people love the car and always want to take time to talk about it.
Bon jour, Paul!
Back in Germany I had two Peugeot 304. You wrote an excellent CC about the model. Merci beaucoup!
Minor things I would add: the engines were so willing to rev. They were a joy to drive because of that. I never needed a repair on the engine but an overhaul would have been easy because they used wet cylinder sleeves in an aluminum block. I did replace the head gasket in a friend’s 304 and that was an easy job as well.
I also loved the column mounted shift lever.
The vinyl seats were often mistaken for real leather. That is how great they looked.
At that time aerodynamics were not yet fully developed in automotive engineering. This shows when you look at the greenhouse. It provided excellent visibility. It also showed when you drove faster than 120km/h. The back corners of the hood started to rise up because of the lift that was created there. I always worried that the hood might come up and fold over the windshield because of that. Wind noise was also very loud.
Ingvar summarized how this car slotted in the French offerings. It also had a niche in Germany. It was so much better than the outdated VW rear engine cars and it also was better in many aspects than what Opel and Ford Germany had to offer. The 304 was much roomier and rode much more comfortable than any competing Ford and Opel. Of course the German buyers were worried about rust and what the TüV would say to that.
I for once have fond memories of them. I think I should work on my COALS……
Interesting find. I don’t think the fwd Peugeots were sold in Australia as I have only seen a couple including a privately imported convertible. At the time Peugeot was assembling their rwd cars in Heidelberg, Melbourne.
The wiper orientation is “wrong” on this car. Had never noticed it before now.
The Peugeot dealer on Ocean in Santa Monica relocated to the corner of Broadway and Lincoln, and stayed in business for several more years.
I do remember seeing a few 304’s back in the day, but they were never common. The RWD Pugs were though. Good cars.
In the several years that I’ve been reading CC, many posts have awakened memories of cars that I’d forgotten about. Before this post, if you’d have shown me a picture of a 304, I would have recognized it immediately. But even after reading this, I honestly can’t remember that they were sold in the US. These are far more obscure than even a Toyota Carina, Plymouth Cricket or VW 412.
It is interesting to think about the point Paul made about the 304 having had a shot in the USA if it had stuck around till the oil shock of 73-74. At that time, a lot of people piled out of their comfortable large cars and into econoboxes, that were less comfortable and had little highway ability. The 304 with it’s smooth ride and roominess for it’s size seems tempting.
Paul mentioned bringing over the diesel but other changes to make it suitable were possible. I think punching the engine out to about 1.6 liters might get 70 hp in emission controlled America with the higher torque to allow for at least dealer installed AC and a tall enough 4th gear to settle the car down on the highway. The American subcompacts for all their faults were good on the freeway. If this mini French sedan could not match them, there was not much hope. The Americans at the time were stretching out recommended service intervals with HEI and hydraulic valve lifters. I don’t think this could have been matched but the Japanese service requirements of the time were at the high end of American tolerance. This could at least have been done.
Really it would have required a lot of investment to make the 304 suitable for the USA. Our Euro commenters have described how great and long lived the engine was. America in the 70s could have used a more comfort oriented economy car. I wish Peugeot had made the investment,
I think that John C has pretty well nailed the reason that Puegot left the US market. The car wasn’t selling very well as it was and would have required considerable investment to fit it to the US market, particularly noting that in 1973 bumper standards and pollution controls kicked in with the requirements becoming more stringent in the following years.
Further, all this was relatively uncharted water at the time requiring engineering and design research, not just application of existing technology. Since Puegot had a solid market in Europe and didn’t need the US market for survival, I think it was a logical decision to drop the the model and focus on models more easily modified.
Still a few of these models running round in France as daily runners – becoming more sought after as people look fondly back to more certain times in France.
If you want to find examples for sale in their home country of France and fancy importing – http://www.leboncoin.fr is a good place to look for everyday runners.
the rear of the wagon always looked to me like an Austin Maxi.
Pugs are good cars , I’ve owned them and worked in an Indie Pug Garage run by two French Brothers in the 1970’s a while .
Still a bit too quirky for my taste .
Dad’s ’59 (?) 403 sedan was a terrific car in New England , the tin worm killed it in the middle 1960’s .
-Nate
IIRC, the 304 sedan and wagon had different rear suspensions. The sedan had the coil springs in the usual vertical orientation. The wagon had them horizontal as on the Rover P6 front suspension, although I don’t know that the resemblance went beyond that. The rationale was to keep the load area free of spring towers.
Another great memory! As a kid in Greece in the 70s, 204/304s were not a rare sight. However, the only place I’ve ever seen them in the US are in ads in car magazines.
My favorite French car was the Peugeot 504–in general, I liked Peugeots. Except the DS, and some Simcas, the other French cars of my childhood either struck me as cheap (Dauphine, 2CV) or ugly/wierd (R4, that horrible Citroen (4CV?), Panhards), or both.
The fuel crisis gave Fiat a boost, and the 128 was probably cheaper than the 304. However, I’m not sure how well the Peugeot would stand up to US driving conditions compared to Corollas, B210s, and even Pintos of the era.
BTW, I always thought Peugeot was number 2 or 3 in France–Renault, Citroen (due to 2CV) or Peugeot, and Simca.
Great piece, thanks.
Wow Paul, you made me look at these again. I always thought the 204 and 304 were wannabes, but that 304 sedan profile is actually nicer than the 504 sedan’s.
I recall what really made Peugeots different from any other european car, back when different brands made different cars, was their supple ride. It had a somewhat different taste from Citroen and Renaults. Out here in Italy they also were considered very dependable, expecially when compared to british cars: if you travel to north Africa countries, particularly in remote areas, they are still greatly praised alongside old Mercedes Benz models for their reliability. For italians, though, they were a bit too boring: every youth would prefer homebrewed wheels with firmer suspensions, easily tunable engines and cheaper parts readily available everywhere.
My first car was a 1972 304 wagon. Pearl white with tan “leatherette”. I would love to see that car in it’s original condition.
My first car was a 1971 Peugeot 304,bought used in 1976.There was Peugeot dealer in Hampton,Va.They were neat cars.