(first posted 7/11/2016) I once owned a Peugeot 403. The fact that it never ran the whole time I owned it, for close to a year, didn’t really bother me all that much (it did my landlord). This was during my 404 era, of which I had six. I got the 403 because I could never quite decide which of the two—403 or 404—was more handsome in my eyes. So I’d go down to the garage under our apartment in Santa Monica, and just gaze at it. And compare it to my 404 sedan. I never did come to a decision, although my landlord did eventually force one, by making me get rid of the 403. No non-running cars allowed, no matter how beautiful.
Well, I still can’t quite decide. But that’s undoubtedly a good reflection on the fine design work done by Pininfarina on both of them. The 403 was the gateway drug to my 404 addiction—I was familiar with them from the 50s in Austria—as it was also for much of the rest of the world’s exposure, experience and passion with and for Peugeots, given that it was their first really big seller and the first to be imported to the US. I’ve long held off telling its story because I’ve never run into one since I started shooting for CC. Now I really wish I still had one in my garage that I could shoot, running or not, but in lieu of that, I’ll use pictures by CC’s Roger Carr and others. And maybe you can help me finally resolve my dilemma.
red 203 by Johannes Dutch
The 403 is a direct evolution of the 203 (CC here), Peugeot’s first all-new post-war car, and the one that begat a 50 year-long line of classic RWD Peugeots right through the 505, which was built in some parts of the world until 1997. I say “direct evolution”, as the 403’s biggest change from the 203 was its body.
The 203 was designed and styled in-house, and it certainly wasn’t a bad job, although it clearly had derivative aspects, especially the front end, which had “Detroit” written all over it. Obviously, the fastback was a continuation of the aerodynamic designs that had graced all Peugeots since the mid 1930s.
Under the skin, not much changed, especially in the suspension. The rear suspension is a classic torque tube with coil springs and transverse Panhard rod design, which allows softer springs, a high degree of suspension travel and articulation, qualities that Peugeot would cultivate for decades. The rear axle also had Peugeot’s trademark worm gear drive and a rather lovely alloy axle housing. I used to just gaze at mine when I found myself under the car. This rear suspension design would grace Peugeots for some 50 years, used by 505 wagons until the very end of the RWD line.
The front suspension used transverse leaf springs to locate the lower end of the king pins, with upper control arms that had integrated hydraulic shocks. This was a not-uncommon approach to independent front suspension, especially so in Europe at the time. Fiat used a similar design in many of their post-war cars, as did others. The 203 was a bit more unusual in using rack and pinion steering, one of the early adopters of what has become ubiquitous, and which contributed materially to their cars’ accurate and light steering. All this was carried forward to the 403 without significant changes.
photo by Don Andreina
It should be noted here that this front suspension did not have the exceptional long travel, soft springs and corresponding ride that later Peugeots (and many other French cars) became famous for. That all really started with Citroen, with their ultra-soft 2CV and of course the legendary DS with its hydro-pneumatic suspension. The 203/403 had a very decent ride for the times, but it rode decidedly more firmly than its successor 404, which had a completely new front suspension. It took the development of Peugeot’s unique 5-valve shock absorbers to tame the soft springs that came with the 404. Standard Michelin X steel-belted radial tires added to the superior roadholding, steering accuracy and feel, and overall handling and ride quality of the 403.
The 403’s engine was an enlarged version of the 203’s 1290cc hemi-head four, with displacement upped to 1468cc. The block was cast iron, with wet removable iron cylinder sleeves, a feature common on French cars, and one that allowed replacing worn cylinders and pistons without removing the engine or extensive rebuilding. The cylinder head was aluminum alloy, with hemispherical combustion chambers and pushrod actuated valves. That gave this engine plenty of scope for increasing its power output from its stock rating of 65 (DIN, or close to SAE net) hp at about 5,000 rpm, and 75 lb.ft. of torque. One of the advanced features of the 403 engine was the electro-magnetically operated thermostatic fan clutch, which only engaged the plastic fan as needed. This supposedly increased fuel efficiency some 5-10% and reduced sound levels, as the fan was only actuated when needed.
The single carburetor was mounted somewhat unusually on top of the valve cover, with its internal manifold. But that could be readily modified, as the blue bolt-on cover on the side of the cylinder head could be removed, allowing direct access to the ports with some modifications.
After-market performance upgrades were popular, including exhaust headers, more aggressive camshafts, and twin carb setups, like these two Solexes on a 203 engine. Its good performance in stock configuration and its ready ability to be tuned for more made the 403 one of the best sport sedans of the 50s.
During the great sports car and import car boom in the US during the 1950s, the 403 was soon adopted by many in the sporty car set (and actual racers) as the ideal sedan to drive during the week, or to and from races, like in this Road and Track review/testimonial by Phil Hill. David. E. Davis was another enthusiastic 403 owner. The 403 was something like the BMW 5 series of its time. 
The 403 sedan and wagon introduced the US to the 403, and unlike the great majority of the dozens of European brands sold here during the great import boom of the 50s, Peugeot survived the decimation of most of them in 1960 without any real impact, since by then its credentials and reputation were well established. Peugeot sales in the US were modest but steady.
Pininfarina’s 1947 Cisitalia 202 vaulted the Italian designer to super-star status, and opened the doors to numerous design contracts with manufacturers in Europe and even Nash in the US. That included Peugeot.
Thanks to CC’s Don Andreina, we have this shot of a 403 prototype, most likely from 1954. Clearly much of the shape was already locked in, but the speed strakes on the fenders were later dropped, and the front end, which looks rather Nash-like, was refined further. Given Pininfarina’s many design contracts, it was inevitable that there would be some cross-fertilization from his other designs of the era. The 403 was a classic exponent of the slab-sided “pontoon look” that swept the design world in the 50s and finally relegated distinct fender bulges as obsolete.
The 403’s greenhouse was clearly influenced by Pininfarina’s 1947 Lancia Aprilia Bilux, although below the beltline, that car still had the bulging fenders.
One has to give credit to the 1947 Kaiser-Frazers, based on designs by “Dutch” Darrin, for helping to usher in the slab-sided pontoon look, even if they lacked the better proportions and detailing of Pininfarina’s eventual handiwork on the subject.
The Fiat 1400/1900, engineered and designed by Dante Giacosa, arrived in 1950 and shows signs of being influenced by the Kaiser-Frazer in its styling. The Fiat was a a very modern sedan for the times in Europe. There has been some speculation that Pininfarina’s design for the Peugeot 403 was initially a proposal to replace the Fiat 1400, but was not used since Fiat kept the original body in production, with some updates, to its end in 1958. Who knows for sure?
This black 403 sedan shot by Roger Carr is a very early model, from sometime between its introduction in May 1955 through the 1956 model year. The protruding lion’s head hood ornament was removed after 1958, due to concerns of danger to pedestrians, but it’s not uncommon to see these retrofitted to later 403s. The real giveaway are two other details: the wipers on these early models had a “cross hands” arrangement, meeting in the middle. That was changed for 1957 to parallel wipers.
This 403 also has the original semaphore trafficators in the C-pillars, which were replaced by conventional turn signals in 1957. So this is quite a find. The a total of 1.2 million 403s were built from 1955 through 1966, including in Argentina, Australia, and even about a thousand were assembled in New Zealand.
Steel sunroofs were standard on all of these generations of Peugeot sedans except for the economy models.
Speaking of, the 203 did not go out of production after the 403 arrived; it was continued as a lower cost alternative all the way through 1960. And then its smaller 1290cc engine was offered in the economy model of the 403, to meet France’s 7CV tax standard, based on displacement. Likewise, the 403 continued in production until 1966, and played the same role after the 404 was introduced in 1960. And then the same thing was done again after the 504 was introduced.
This is the interior of a later 403 Roger shot at a car show. The basic configuration stayed the same during the whole run of the 403, but details did change, including the steering wheel. The front seats reclined all the way back, to making a “couchette”. Perfect for Parisian lovers who didn’t have an apartment to go to.
The 403’s four speed transmission was shifted by a column-mounted lever, as was quite common in Europe at the time. Alfa even used a column shifter for a five speed in one of its sedans. The mechanism was refined, and shifting was surprisingly quick and easy, as I know well from my 404 sedans that had the manual. The 403’s transmission had a direct drive in third gear, and an overdrive fourth gear ratio. But the rear axle ratio was low enough so that third was something of an in-between gear. It was undoubtedly well suited for the pre-freeway era on older secondary roads and highways, where third made for a very flexible gear to be in. That did make the gap between second and third a bit large, but made for relaxed high speed cruising in fourth.
The 203 already proved itself as an exceptionally tough car in various rallies and endurance runs, and the 403 continued that tradition, especially in the grueling East Africa Safari. It became a Peugeot specialty, and undoubtedly contributed to Peugeots becoming one of the most popular and the most coveted cars all through the continent. Peugeot earned its legendary reputation fair and square.
Another long-established tradition was for Peugeot to build special variants as high-capacity station wagons, pickups and other commercial uses. These all had a unique platform with a 10″ longer wheelbase and modified rear suspensions to handle the excessive loads these were often saddled with, especially in Africa. The rear suspension on these were via semi-elliptic leaf springs; its successor 404 wagon introduced a quad-coil rear suspension on the wagons to maintain the ride quality it brought along with its new front suspension.
A vintage British road test of a 403 wagon said: the suspensions system, which at low speed feels rather firm, suits brisk driving during which it absorbs road shocks very satisfactorily”. It also said the wagon was happy to cruise at 70-75 mph, despite the lower-geared rear axle ratio. Top speed was 79 mph. They were also impressed wit its fuel economy, considering its load and carrying capabilities.
The 403 wagon came in two versions: a three row “Familiale”, and a two row “Commercial”.
A 403 wagon with its giant factory roof rack was almost my first car. In 1972, my girl friend in Iowa City at the time and I went over to her best friend’s family house. There in some deep weeds sat a poor neglected beige or off-white wagon, and I was instantly drawn to it, despite never having any particular affinity to Peugeots before, other than knowing of their reputation. Her family had bought it in France some ten years earlier, and driven it all around Europe before bringing it home, where it served them well before it was mustered out for some malady, which might well have been minor.
404 wagon
I so wanted that wagon, imaging all sorts of adventures it could afford, and being long enough to sleep in the back. Possibly it might have been easy to get running again. Or not. I’ll never know, as it never came to be. But that unfulfilled desire undoubtedly led to having 404s, and my favorite of the fleet was our wagon. That is a car I wish I still had. Enough of the Peugeot wagons here; I have a whole post on the subject, titled “The World’s Greatest Wagons”. Given that they were built in one continuous stream for some 50 years, and had superior capabilities, I don’t think I was exaggerating.
I have to show at least one example of the 403 pickup. And this would be an appropriate place to mention that in addition to so many engineering qualities and pioneering aspects, Peugeot was also a very early pioneer in the development of passenger car/light commercial diesel engines.
Introduced in 1958, the Indenor TMD85-XPD85 was an all-new engine, having nothing in common with the gasoline engines. It was extremely rugged, and became legendary for its longevity and reliability. It displaced 1816cc and developed 41 hp, comparable to the Mercedes diesels, but would be expanded and developed and used right through the end of the 505 era, with turbocharging. Initially available only in the wagons and pickups, in 1960 it also became available in the sedans, and soon became the taxi engine of choice (the Peugeots already were the taxi cars of choice), and increasingly challenged Mercedes for the light diesel market outside of France too.
The diesel was not available in the US until 1974, in response to the energy crisis, which suddenly made diesels extremely popular. I knew of one diesel 504 driver in LA who installed a large auxiliary tank in his trunk, and drove down to Tijuana, Mexico, about once a month to fill up on diesel, which was dirt cheap then, like 17 cents a gallon or so.
That leaves one more 403 body style, the rarest and most beautiful, by far. The 403 Cabriolet was a rather exceptional thing from day one; only some 2,050 were ever built. Although designed by Pininfarina, it was not built by that firm, as were the later Peugeot Cabrios and Coupes. And unlike those, the 403 Cabrio was directly based on the sedan. This one has an aftermarket custom grill, to go along with its much more luxurious interior. Given that it cost about twice the sedan’s price, that might be expected. And those are period-correct Robergel wire wheels, worth some $1500 a piece today. but that’s peanuts compared to what a complete and restored Cabrio goes for today: One very similar to this one recently sold for $130k in the US on Ebay.
Is some of that demand due to the 403 Cabrio becoming iconic as Peter Falk’s battered car in “Columbo”? For what it’s worth, the buyer of that $130k Cabrio was from the US, not France, which is what had been predicted.
It’s a very tasty car, and from some angles, looks a bit like a compact Rolls-Royce Corniche cabriolet. Peugeots were often called “The French Mercedes” in Europe, but until I looked at this shot just now, I would never have considered calling it “The French Rolls-Royce”. It’s now way out of my price range, but I’d be very happy to have a beater version like Columbo’s.
The big comfortable seats were trimmed in leather. But otherwise, the dash and interior are largely the same as the sedan.
The 403 Cabrio is a high point of the 403 story, so this would be an opportunity to quit at the peak, although there really are no low points. The 403 was universally praised, loved and respected. It was just another obscure old car for so long, but its desirability and value have been climbing steadily in recent years. Not surprising, given how many early and positive memories were made in them.
I wish I still had that non-running 403 in the garage, as well as my (well-running) 404 sedan. Then I could sit and gaze at them some more and decide once and for all which one I liked better. It might be a very long session.
Related reading:
CC 1951 Peugeot 203: I Came To Own The World’s Fastest 203 Dawid Botha
The World’s Greatest Wagons: Peugeot 203, 304, 404, 504, 505 Paul N.
CC 1969 Peugeot 404: The CC Holy Grail Found! Paul N.
From the rear you would be forgiven for thinking you were walking up on a baby Rolls Royce convertible.
Yes Paul the look is that striking that it leapt to mind just looking at the pictures before reading your text.
I saw Rolls-Royce as soon as I saw that photo of the cabriolet as well. Though it’s missing the kick-up in the fender line and the angle to the fenders of the Corniche, it’s almost a dead ringer for the Silver Shadow tail and shoulder line. The profile photo of the white sedan also brings the Rolls to mind, though the proportions are rather different. Great designs inspire great designs, I suppose!
FWIW the RR came out ten years later.
I too had a 403 many years ago, I found this many years later in my mother’s garage when I was visiting. Still have it some 35+ years later (the ornament not the car).
Sorry I can’t get the picture to post correctly.
I too love the 403 and 404, and solely on the styling, I can’t decide which I like better. Each just has a whole different look, but they were so well done. If I could find decent examples that weren’t an ‘arm & a leg’ and I had proper garage space, (and because ONE is never enough!) I’d have one of each. (while I’m dreaming, I’d also add a nice 202!) I remember back in the ’70s you could find cars like these for $100 – $200! Otherwise, if I had to choose, I’d pick a 404 because it’s newer, more powerful, could be had with front disc brakes, and even (possibly) AC.
(In my attic, I have the under-dash part of a hang-on Peugeot AC system. The friend that gave it to me claimed it came out of a 404)
The 504s were pretty nice looking too, except for the sloped trunk on the sedans, which spoiled them for me. I always wondered why they did that, instead of taking the trunk straight back and squaring it off, like the trunk on a 1970 Fiat 124 coupe. It wouldn’t look ‘droopy’, and would add a bit more trunk space too.
I believe the RWD Peugeots were probably the French cars most suited for American driving conditions. But, as with all cars, foreign and domestic, and most everything else in those days, Peugeot’s quality declined during the ’70s, Having to accommodate America’s increasing demand for creature-comforts, and US EPA and DOT regulations, didn’t help reliability either. And the lack of decent dealer and parts support in the US doomed them here.
Happy Motoring, Mark
Yes, the sloped trunk on the 505 was odd, but I think it was probably in the tradition of the Citroen DS, always the worthy ideal of French designers for decades. The Renault 16 (I owned one) was sort of the people’s DS in many ways.
There are quite a few 403s still alive and well in NZ they had the lasting quality in the bodywork that the 404s lacked the latter had a reputation for rust here and I can remember a draugting cadet who had a very lacey example many years ago when the car was fairly young, it went ok though it just looked bad. The mother of an ex GF in Melbourne had a 404 and had the carb changed to a smaller venturi example and proudly told me she got over 40 mpg in town out of the car, having ridden in it with her it wasnt any slower than the traffic around it just very economical this was in the early 90s and she’d had the car from 67 and is likely still driving it, As my GM loving father was fond of saying, never let any customer drive a Peugeot you’ll never get them out of it.
I’d be perfectly happy with Columbo’s car but that aftermarket grille is nice.
Yes, it is a shame that you couldn’t find the time to get the 403 running all those years ago. Oh well, perhaps the next guy did.
I really do like these. They were very nicely finished inside and had an attractive conservatism about the exterior. It is good that they deleted those gimmicky speed lines from the fenders – the car looks much better without them.
The exteriors were getting away from the Chrysler influences of the earlier models, but I suppose that the outside stylists helped there with their own ideas. The insides still do resemble Mopars of the early 1950s, though, at least just a bit.
Were the Peugeot products of the 1950’s and 60’s more reliable and less trouble prone than their models of the late 1970’s and 80’s?
I have always admired their interiors, particularly their oh-SO-comfortable seats. I greatly increased the ride quality of several small Japanese pick up trucks by transplanting 504 seats into them.
We’ll try to answer that more fully in the 504 CC coming soon.
In a nutshell, the rapid changes in safety and emission standards in the US as well as the demands for more power accessories by US buyers created lots of issues with many/most European brands in the 70s and 80s, most of all the smaller ones that couldn’t justify the investment required to do it right. The often jury-rigged solutions were of course trouble-prone, but the basic elements of the car were fundamentally still very sound, as those who have kept them and found solutions to those niggling issues will attest.
So if an owner has repeated issues with minor but annoying electronic/electric issues and such, it’s going to make them think (rightfully) that the car is a POS. It was relatively easier to make a solid and reliable car in the 50s and 60s, not that all of them were.
We could wonder what if the changes in safety and emission standards in the US was less rapid? Could it gived to the European brands more time to adjust their investment to do it right?
The 403 styling has been as timeless as anything…and far more than most. The cleanness…nothing looking tacked-on or junky…has a lot to do with it. The 404 with its forward-slanting front end, and its fins, is less so.
“…of the Peugeot wagons here; I have a whole post on the subject, titled ‘The World’s Greatest Wagons.’ Given that they were built in one continuous stream for some 50 years, and had amazing capabilities, I don’t think I was exasperating.”
That should be “exaggerating,” I think.
Me thinks so too. 🙂
403 or 404. What a dilemma. Let’s have a Bordeaux or Chateau Neuve Du Pape over that. Both are timeless. If I had one of each presented to me I would take the one with fewer dents.
As late as 1972, a couple I knew in the SF Bay area had an extremely well-kept 403, a very handsome tan car with a factory-accessory roof rack. The only 403 I had driven at around the same time was a game but neglected grey beater, a nice enough driver if one wasn’t in a hurry; the tan one OTOH was typically driven very briskly by both owners, and from the passenger seat felt like an entirely different kind of car. I let them know that if they ever decided to sell it … but when they divorced SHE got the car, and HE was the one we were friends with. Oh, well.
So I’ve owned one 404 and had the extended loan of another, but as in Paul’s case the 403 has continued to elude me. The fact that a well-maintained one could possibly be immortal gives me hope, though.
My parents bought a new 403 sedan as their first “second car” in the early 1960s; I remember riding in it, the cranked sunroof in particular. (The car it supplemented was a 1961 LeSabre sedan.) I wonder whether the 403 gave them problems, or whether they were tired of a manual shift, because within a year or two it was replaced by a slightly used ’63 Olds 98 convertible. Not until 1986 was another “foreign” car purchased, when my dad’s 30-year run of Subarus began with a GL-10 AWD wagon.
I like the 403 Cabrio of course, and the 404 wagon. Like the worm drive axle, but have to wonder how much power it zaps. Worm drives are notorious high friction.
The unique rattle of our 403 Diesel, the beginning of dad’s long love affair with the French
manufacturer that ended with a black 404 Diesel
Why can’t Peugeot make cars like these anymore, good design, decent engineering and god built quality.
not revolutionary, but rock solid reliable and a very long lasting Pininfarina design
Paul you are way more knowledgeable about Peugeots than I am so I’ll just put my 2 cents here.
1. Being born and bred in France I can safely tell you that everybody (and I mean everybody) back home loves the 203. It’s one of the classic cars that will give you most value for money, plus lots of smiles and thumbs-ups. It’s on a par with the Citroën Traction Avant. Nobody will tailgate you if you’re driving one of these.
2. While the 203 didn’t have any serious competitor the 403 had the misfortune to be introduced in 1955 at the same time as the Citroën DS… which of course was spectacular. But the 403 was a serious car made for serious people and it didn’t take long until buyers began to appreciate it.
3. Until lately there used to be a very nice red 403 Convertible (the only one I’ve ever seen in the metal) parked on the street outside the US Consulate in Strasbourg, France. It was there for years. I’m taking a wild guess here, but I’m pretty sure it belonged to an American diplomat who told the Consulate’s security to keep an eye on the car, because I can’t imagine anyone leaving such a precious car unattended. And there was a 403 sedan too. Apparently there is an American diplomat out here who is a serious Peugeot buff 🙂
4. I had no idea 203s and 403s were ever sold (let alone built) in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Thanks CC for letting me know. It goes to show that these were excellent cars indeed.
5. 203 and 403 sedans can still be bought cheap but good wagons are getting hard to find. Panel wagons are especially sought after.
6. 403 or 404? Hard choice. I’d go for the 403. For the hood ornament.
The convertible was gorgeous. But then this guy bought it……
Another TV detective driving a Classic Old French Car: “The Mentalist”
Maybe it’s a nonverbal way of affirming their nonconformity, as if we needed to be told.
Maigret is a fictional French detective who in the British ’60s dramatization drove a Traction Avant. I would expect more crime fiction from a nation which invented criminology (Eugène François Vidocq), yet Maigret was created by a Belgian!
Columbo is soooo great. Almost always, the baddy drives a foreign car too. There is one episode where the suspect drives a magnificent green Citroen SM.
Cherry on the top: bit part played by the great Leslie Nielsen!
Styling wise, I prefer 403 over 404. Partially because 404’s basic design was share with a bunch of other cars:
Austin Cambridge/Morris Oxford:
http://www.motopia.co.uk/assets/images/austin-a60-jpg.jpg
Fiat 2300
http://www.zuckerfabrik24.de/fiat/pics/2300L_4_4g.jpg
I long to have a 504 sedan or coupe, as my dear father used to own a 504 sedan back in the ’70s. He was a French car lover, Renault 16 then 504.
I love Peugeots and almost everything I know about pre-504 Peugeots I learned on this site!
As far as styling, I see 1949 Ford (403) vs 1965 Cadillac (404)! Does anyone else see what I see? I see the simple beauty of the 403, but I like the style and modernity of the 404!
I really should have put in the ’49 Ford too, as it was an important early pontoon design.
I’m not seeing the ’65 Caddy so much. 🙂
The 65 Cadillac I see in the 404, or more rightly, the 404 I see in the 65 Cadillac is the headlight high in the fender, the straight line from the headlight to the verticle taillight and fin, and the slab side with the slightly skirted rear wheel.
I agree on the ’49 Ford influence; but a ’65 Cadillac?????
That’s for the 404, not the 403. Matt just explained it further, and I’m seeing more of it.
How about the Cadillac starlight concept and the 404 coupe?!
To my eyes, the 404 Coupes look very much like an up-sized 1959 Fiat 1200/1500 Coupe (also by Pininfarina). It’s hard to see in the photo below, but they even share that slight kink upward in the hips, so to speak, just aft of the door handles:
Pininfarina was in high demand in the late ’50s/early ’60s and wasn’t above recycling a lot of his designs. The 404 C and the Fiat 1500 C are essentially the same, with a different grille. The 404 sedan is a recycled version of the BMC “Farina” cars (Austin A99 & A110 etc.), which itself is a scaled down Lancia Flaminia.
The 403 is less derivative. Although if you see Pininfarina’s 1951 BMW prototype / design study, there is a family resemblance…
Fantastic read. You’ve really made me think again about the 403. It was such an understated shape but given its 1951 origins, it has to go down as one of PF’s more significant shapes – if only because it had none of the awkwardness that almost all PF and other 4 door saloons (except the US variety) were demonstrating at this time.
Those wires on the cabrio look chintzy.
It was bothering me all afternoon what car had a strikingly similar front end appearance to the 403 sedan, and I finally figured it out; the Borgward Isabella. I was surprised to find that the Borgward actually came to market first by almost a full year. The Peugeot is far more sophisticated, for the record:
Is it? In what ways? The Isabella had independent suspension at the rear, albeit with swing axles. The 403 was a bit larger and had four doors. They had similar sized engines and power.
Somewhat curiously, the Isabella was a fair bit more expensive in the US than the 403: $2495 vs. $2175.
The looks of the front end. I see very similar grill shape and size, same placement of the headlamps and indicators, similar hood ornament, the cut line that flows towards the base of the windshield at either end, etc. When I said sophisticated, I was referring to the detailing of the overall design (just look at that huge diamond diastema on the Borgward) . I wasn’t referring to anything else about the cars 😉
Great piece, Paul, your articles are always the high point of CC.
Were I in the market for a European luxury brand circa 1966, Peugeot would have been by far the best choice for me anyway. The junior MB cars of the era were slow, had awful gear changes and the interiors were spartan. The automatic acted just like the old Hydramatic, with a fluid coupling and four speeds, each of which engaged with a kind of a pause-whump feeling, and that was when they were in good shape. If you wanted one with decent power, say at 280, and interior that didn’t remind you of a fridge, you were soon in stratospheric price range. The MB cars were excellent, reliable vehicles, very well made, in their defense.
BMW cars of the mid 1960’s were notorious for breaking down an shoddy quality. They were simply not in the Peugeot and Daimler league in 1965. That leaves the Pug. They were built like tanks, drove down the road extremely well, were supremely well made and were marvelously comfortable. Nothing could glide down a dirt road like a Pug, and they would corner extremely well.
The ones I came across in used car days had mostly lived hard lives and were 15 years old by then. Few had been properly maintained. The biggest Peugeot killer is when the magnetic fan coupling fails. It’s actually really easy and cheap to repair, but we cannot forget how stupid people are. I sold one to a university student, a young lady, in this case a 504 diesel, which I drove around all one summer. It was a great car, and the diesel made excellent torque. I had told the lady to come back if there was a problem and I would see what I could do. Well, a week later, on a hot summer’s day, in it came on a hook. She had overheated it and continued to drive until the engine seized. The fan clutch had failed, and she didn’t notice the pegged coolant gauge. She didn’t know what all the steam and smoke was, and just kept driving, until it graunched to a halt.
I would love to find a nice 404, or even a 504, but they are 40-50 years old now.
“She didn’t know what all the steam and smoke was, and just kept driving, until it graunched to a halt”
“we cannot forget how stupid people are”
If that isn’t the sad truth…
Almost every 404 I came across had the fan bolts tightened down, so at least it would run all the time. That was the procedure if the fan clutch failed. That fan actuator was so simple and easy to replace; just a carbon brush and a wire, hooked up to the water temp gauge sensor. I put a number of them back to working right, and I never had any problems with them. I assume that maybe the carbon brush eventually wore down, or got jammed.
Yes, these were not idiot-proof.
We always fixed the fan clutch, which was very easy, because the fan ate up a lot of power from an engine that didn’t have a lot to begin with, and it was also noisy.
A friend of mine in the UK who had 403s used to ditch the magnetic fan altogether and fit an electric one from the biggest engine 405 (obtained very cheaply at your nearest scrap yard). There were no overheating issues after that, ever.
My grandmother acquired a 403, silver with red interior, in about 1964 or so. She drove it for close to 20 years, shuttling her fellow elderly friends to church, doctors, the grocery store and whatever else might be on their agenda. She sold the car to her mechanic when she had to finally give up her license. Her eyesight had gotten pretty bad. When my parents said it was time, her response was something along the lines of “But I’ve memorized all the routes!” Thankfully nothing bad happened and the 403 was in perfect condition (and low mileage, of course) when she sold it.
Olive was a no-nonsense, practical, frugal New England Yankee. Looking back, the 403 suited her very well. The upright, compact package was just right for transporting 4 church ladies and their belongings. Performance was adequate for the Connecticut suburban environment where she lived most of her life. I’m sure it was efficient, or she would have complained. The styling was not ostentatious, but understated and well proportioned. Being a Peugeot, it was also an unconventional choice.
The 403 is an “honest car” in truest sense of the word. Maybe CC should have an Honest Car Week. That might be optimistic — Honest Car Day?
For all I know, her 403 has been maintained and is still going. Sadly, we can’t do that with aging loved ones.
Nice image you painted. I can just see her…
Having spent some of my childhood in Europe, I became very fond of European car design. Later on, I drove a ’61 Ponton-body Mercedes 180 to my senior year in high school that, except for the grill and some ‘character-lines’ on the fenders, looked very much like a 403. And my Dad’s first Mercedes was a Fintail 220S. Very different styles, but I grew to like both. The Ponton body, designed in the early ’50s represented solid, no nonsense, conservative practicality. They were designed in an era where people worked and saved to buy a car, then cherished and maintained it for many years – not discarding it as soon as the next pretty thing came out.
OTOH, the Fintail cars introduced a level of style not seen on Mercedes before or since, not to mention better outside visibility, better safety (these were the first Mercedes engineered to benefit from crash-testing) and improved handling from the final update to the swing-axle rear suspension. Otherwise, with most of the be-finned European cars, the fins were fairly tasteful – not the huge, grotesque creations found on many US cars.
I’ve never driven a 404, but I had a ’60 Fintail Mercedes 15 years ago, and found the fins to actually be extremely practical. From the driver’s seat, while backing up, I could see the rear corners of the car!
Happy Motoring, Mark
Nice article and a lot of Euro/French car nerd info I did not know. Thanks.
Again I am struck by the different images different cars have in different countries. In Israel, 403s, 404s and the 504s and 505s which replaced them later were part and parcel of any street (and hence curbside) scene; they did not at the time merit a second look from a teenager me (that was deserved for the few US made muscle cars we had or the odd Jaguars etc.). Back then those were the type of cars bought and used by non-hip people such as dentists, lawyers, veterinaries, higher ranking civil servants or directors of small companies; the pick ups, by farmers, tradesmen and the IDF. And of course there were l o a d s of cabs, 5 or 8 seaters (see below, via Ilan Goldenberg). As with the Subarus which infested our roads in the 70s-90s I now come to appreciate their qualities, in particular the legendary reliability. One of my father’s friends who was – surprise – a veterinary practitioner had a streak of them and for years tried to convince my father to buy one, which eventually he did (a 505, last of the line). It was underpowered and slow and infinitely boring but it never broke down, which from my dad’s PoV was the main thing. I hated it but then, it was a 1.8 auto (yes – an Israeli tax special). Years later I had a ride in the ultimate front engine/RWD Peugeot (505 STX V6) and what an eye opener it was – I would not say no to one of those.
Peugeot always flew completely under my radar until a friend’s mom’s ’74 504 4 door sedan came to my attention. Gas engine with automatic. My friend remarked how under powered it was. The seats were ultra comfortable and the car had a great ride, and this is from the perspective of riding in the back seat. It did have it’s share of mechanical problems. The earlier 403 and 404 sound like they were much more durable, not having added luxury equipment and primitive mid 70’s US emission controls to deal with. Being a California model as well didn’t help.
My friends mother was French and his Father was German. He drove Diesel Rabbits. The family vacation car (truck) was a ’63 Suburban. They kept the Peugeot and Suburban into the mid 80’s. Friend passed at the way too young age of 40.
Paul really owes it to himself to pick up a really nice, well preserved 404 Wagon for fair weather weekends.
Always look forward to Paul’s detailed write ups.
Absolutely fantastic article Paul, great detail and beautifully written. ’twas a pleasure to read (belatedly) over lunch.
Loved loved loved this article.
It’s funny though how the 403 seems to have been perceived ou tin the US. In France, I don’t think anyone would compare it to a BMW 5 series. It’s more the staid, solid, discrete berline bourgeoise, the complete opposite of the futuristic Citroen DS. Even the 404 had a much racier image, what with the more aggressive styling and the fuel injection.
One oddity in the 403 range that always struck me was the lack of a 2-door coupe. All the other ‘big’ Peugeots had one in their lineup (401, 402, 203, 404, 504, 304…) if they had a cabriolet. Possibly because the 203 coupe was such a failure (fewer than 1000 built)?
So there was a tiny gap in the 403 range. A few coupe versions were hand-made by Darl’Mat, Chapron, Pichon-Parat, etc., but in extremely small quantities.
http://gaetancarpentier.pagesperso-orange.fr/403/carosserie/autres/index
Paul, thanks for the interesting article. I’ve had 2 403’s and 2 404’s and the 403 is my favorite by a wide margin. Sorry that you did not get to have a 403 as a driver. Did you ever get to drive one? I enjoyed your attention to the front end module. I have a serious appreciation for mechanical devices and consider the 403 front end module to be a work of art. The 403 is a great PF design and the mechanical details of the 403 are numerous, from the built in attachments for a roof rack, to the magnet in the oil drain plug, to the brass nuts on the exhaust manifold, and oh yes, the hand crank for the engine clipped under the hood.
Can’t say I feel any Pug Luv, probably because I have never sat in one, let alone rode in one. But I dig the worm drive axle. That’s cool.
Interesting to note then the 403 got a second life in Argentina as a pick-up version from what I read on that Spanish blog.
https://diecastautos.blogspot.com/2019/01/peugeot-t4b-pick-up-403-vehiculos.html
That’s interesting. Was there some advantage to doing it this way, or were they just being French about it?
It probably started as column A and ended with column B.
Strength. These Peugeot rears never break with the original engines fitted.
I was always bemused and disappointed that French cars did SO well in Europe but SO badly in the USA.