504 is the area code needed to reach New Orleans. Based on my childhood recollections, 504 was also the number Peugeot used effectively to reach New Orleans import car buyers. Praise from period buff books reinforced the choice: the quirky, charming French car offered a number of attributes that made it well-suited for ardent Francophiles.
While domestic iron still ruled the roost in New Orleans in the 1970s, some imports were catching on, including Peugeot, which was not surprising given that the city has a rich French heritage dating back to its founding.
For a young, budding car enthusiast like me, the 504 was one of the first imports I could readily identify. Pinninfarina’s distinctive styling, with the canted “eyebrows” over the headlights and the uniquely droopy deck lid, ensured that the 504 stood out from the crowd. I also got an early lesson in French pronunciation from my parents as I learned about the car: “pew-joe” quickly became part of my lexicon, rather than my more phonetic original “pee-ugh-eee-oht.”
One of my parent’s friends, Xavier (naturellement!), had an early 504 (probably a ’71 or ’72), which I vaguely remember, mostly because of its looks, its seat headrests and the fact that it was so different from all the other cars that I knew. What I didn’t understand at the time was what it was like to drive, or the extent of its appeal. But today I can look back at what the press had to say when the 504 arrived on our shores to get a more vivid tableau.
Motor Trend’s assessment in the February 1970 issue primarily pointed out a number of advantages of the efficient European design philosophy, noting that the Peugeot packed a lot of space and clever details into a diminutive package. They also noted that, for most Americans, any Peugeot was pretty much an unknown commodity.
Car and Driver also commented on Peugeot’s obscurity stateside, along with noting its ample practicality, comfort and high build quality.
The 504 was filled with unusual details that would have seemed very foreign to most U.S. buyers. Some, like the integrated headrests that could easily be pushed down into the front seats, were quite useful. Others, like odd foot-mounted controls, were certainly less-endearing quirks.
Car and Driver gave much praise to the Peugeot’s ride and handling balance, noting that it offered a rather unique combination of softness with agility. That point alone must have helped sell more than a few 504s in New Orleans, with the city’s notoriously pot-holed and relatively narrow streets practically begging for a maneuverable small car with a smooth ride.
Performance was nothing to brag about: it was merely adequate at best, and one of the 504’s weakest points. Peugeot would soon address that shortcoming, however, as a bored-out, more powerful 4-cylinder engine was imported during 1971. Road Test Magazine delivered a full report on the more potent Pug in October 1971.
The enlarged engine provided useful additional output, allowing the car to better deliver on its promise of sprightly performance. The increased capacity would also have been vital for cars equipped with air conditioning, which was almost a mandatory option in South Louisiana.
In spite of its charms, and perhaps because of its quirks, Peugeot only sold 8,288 examples of its new 504 in the U.S. market for 1970 and 1971, significantly trailing its European rivals like Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and even Saab (though the Swedish “Born From Jets” brand was virtually non-existent in the Deep South from what I recall–it must have been a popular New England and West Coast choice).
Based on my childhood sightings in New Orleans, however, the Big Easy could well have been one of the stronger markets for the French brand in the U.S. Perhaps the NOLA Peugeot dealer was good, maybe there were enough neighborhood mechanics adept at handling all the necessary maintenance, and of course, there was the inherent local obsession with all things French. Whatever the reasons, I could count on occasionally spotting a 504. It was always a fun car to see, bringing a bit of Gallic personality to the Bayou State. Vive la différence!
This is my favorite French car! The early 4 door 504! Too bad they all rusted away years ago where I live near Montreal. I met a guy who has a few but I think they are all French import (I prefer the North American version with dual sealed beam headlights!).
Now if I could find one with working a/c! The only ones I have seen with a/c were for sale in the US!
I had these recessed headrests on my ’74 504GL before I replaced the seats with those from a later model. Although they were elegant when recessed, the headrests were pretty unsightly when up. And if you drove with the headrests recessed, well, you better have well developed neck muscles because there is nothing to stop your head from snapping back in a collision.
Car and Driver said about the windshield wiper/washer control on their 1970 test car: “Your fingers never leave your hand.”
I would hope not. It would hurt too much for using the wiper/washer to be worth the pain.
But then, apparently that got changed in the Road Test 1971 test car. Ouch!
But at least Road Test acknowledged the “can’t do without” item for driving in New Orleans: air conditioning. Flow-through ventilation that wafts around 90-plus degree air with 90-plus percent humidity is pretty much useless.
“Car and Driver gave much praise to the Peugeot’s ride and handling balance, noting that it offered a rather unique combination of softness with agility.”
The art of creating such a suspension seems all but lost in today’s market. The one car I drove recently and reminded me of Peugeot’s ride quality is the 2008 Hyundai Sonata that I bought for my son. —Son! We ought to switch cars!
This is one of my favorite French cars. It’s the family car in the movie West Beirut and two of them were used to catch James Bond while he droved a yellow Citroen 2CV in “For your eyes only”.
I’ve never given much attention or thought to Peugeots and will probably continue to do so in the future.
When I was a kid my friend’s family had a diesel model. Very comfortable ride, but bog-slow and the engine sounded like a rattling coffee can full of coins.
Thanks for these, GN. They refreshed my memory banks on certain details, and the perspective is interesting. These were very top-notch cars at the time.
The odd steering wheel angle I remember all-too well. It was because of the location of the rack and pinion steering. The 404 had it to a lesser extent, but the 504 did have a rather Italianseque driving position, with hands extended further forward than typical.
Interesting reading — thanks! I’ve long been fascinated by the 504, but at a distance. I doubt that I’d have ever been brave enough to buy one.
I was recently looking though a 1982 issue of Car and Driver, and came across this editorial about owning a 1975 504 diesel. The synopsis is that the car performed great for a few years, but then things started going wrong — quirky things, expensive things, and hard-to-diagnose-and-fix things. This is the type of story I remember hearing in the 1980s from (former) Peugeot owners; this type of scenario must have been commonplace and makes me wonder how low Peugeot’s repeat-buyer ratio must have been.
Anyway, it’s an interesting take on the 504 in the US.
Very funny and unfortunately right on target. I’ve had all these problems on my ’74 GL including most recently the puddle of fluid from the brake compensator. I’ve always given the car a break because its old, maybe I’m being too generous. But yeah, I’d buy another one, definitely.
Do you have Gordon Baxter’s other column on his Peugeot ownership experience, which was titled, “I’ll Never Get Rid of Old Herpes.”? It’s about his efforts to dispose of the Peugeot 504 once he runs out of patience. Did you catch who wrote the Car and Driver review above? I can’t seem to find the author. I wondered if it was Baxter, as he must have thought highly of Peugeots prior to owning one.
These were interesting. If a buyer then was trading from an American car like the ones in the comparison yesterday a couple of things stick out.
In favor of the 504 look at the seating. The Rebel seamed to get the nod yesterday almost entirely to better seating. This car would take that to a whole new level. Ditto the highway ride. If one only required 4 seats or less, the room factor would be negated.
In favor of the domestics, I would point to the 20 mpg C/D got from the 504.It seems shocking that going down to a four speed and 110 cubic inches does not get you better economy. The gearing that means you are over 4000 rpm at 75mph is to blame and probably destroys this car on an interstate. A modern 110 cubic inch engine would break 40mpg on the interstate and be turning at perhaps 2500 rpm at 75mph. A single 1 barrel carb was probably an economy choice, requiring premium not so much.
Somehow I became acquainted with THREE 504s. One friend had a faded maroon diesel four speed. It seemed pretty slow, but I rode many miles in it. It was a response to the high gas prices in the 70’s. I still remember the comfortable seats and the chrome strips on the dash. Another friend had a blue gas automatic. We once wanted to go down a dirt road that had been blocked with a huge mound of gravel. He just drove right over it with nary a scrape upon approach, breakover or departure. A third friend had a “champagne” (?) gas four speed. I got to drive that one. I remember it feeling very composed and sure-footed, I’d have called it a sport sedan. But it was already rusty, and it got so much rustier so fast that he had to get rid of it.
I don’t recall ever seeing a 504 in person before. They probably all rusted away here long ago.
I haven’t seen a 504 (or any Pug, for that matter) here in Ontario for many years thanks to our salty roads. The last one I saw was in a wrecking yard in the early 2000’s with other rusty old cars..including an old Jeep FC pickup. Sad. Reading the reviews and the other articles makes me want to take an old Pug for a good long drive…though like any old car, I’d keep my fingers crossed that nothing broke down.