60 YEARS OF THE PEUGEOT 404
By Ellie Priestley |
14th July, 2020
In the 1960s, advertisements for the 404 might contain the phrase ‘wins again!’, for the mighty Peugeot took first place in the East African Safari no fewer than four times. Its enthusiasts around the world regard it as one of the finest mass-produced cars of its generation – one of the utmost integrity and refinement. Indeed, Road & Track magazine famously rated it as the quietest car in the world in terms of wind and road noise.
The 404 made its bow in early 1960 as the model that would succeed and eventually replace the long-established 403. The 1.6-litre engine and the RWD layout were very familiar, but the smartly elegant Pininfarina coachwork leant the new Peugeot a “Grande Bourgeoisie” presence. It also boasted splendid road manners, and in 1962 the motoring writer John B Ball thought ‘It seems almost that the faster one corners this Peugeot the better it likes it’.
Meanwhile, the chaps at The Motor were highly impressed - ‘different members of our staff returned from journeys in the 404 remarking, “I’d like one of those”. Alas, import duties raised the British price to £1,259 2s 9d, which meant the Peugeot was always going to be a comparatively rare sight in outer suburbia.
William Boddy wrote in the September 1961 edition of Motor Sport that it was ‘generally a splendid car, offering exceptional value for money’ but ‘it could exasperate well less experienced or discerning drivers. For it is a highly individual motor-car. Boddy also thought ‘the car even smells French’, an observation that makes you wonder if every early 404 reeked of Gitanes.
That same year saw the introduction of the “Grand Tourisme Super Luxe” with hide-trimmed seats and Moquette front carpeting plus the utterly exquisite Cabriolet version. By 1962 Peugeot offered the equally elegant Coupe and a Kugelfischer fuel injection option in addition to the estate and the seven/eight-seater Familiale.
Autocar of 28th December featured a test of the station wagon which concluded ‘one has no doubts about the structural and mechanical excellence of the 404’. At £1,184 14s 7d the Peugeot was more expensive than a Hillman Super Minx Estate or a Morris Oxford Series VI Traveller. It was also rather Spartan, with its single visor, lack of armrests and windscreen washers costing an extra £4 17s 10d. More importantly than standard fittings, it was a car that could be relied upon in almost all conditions.
1964 marked the introduced of the 404 Diesel, the car Peugeot hoped would tempt Parisienne taxi drivers away from their 403s and cabbies overseas from their Mercedes-Benz 190 “Fintails”. By that time, the 404 was as a familiar sight in France as a comedy featuring Louis de Funès. A bank manager might opt for the Super Luxe instead of a Citroën ID19 while a farmer could load a Familiale with haybales and various livestock.
The launch of the 504 in 1968 marked the gradual curtailment of the 404 range. The last of 1,847,568 examples left the Sochaux factory in 1975, although production overseas continued for several more years – South Africa until 1968, Argentina until 1980 and 1989 in Nigeria. Perhaps the reason for the success of the 404 was encapsulated by a Motor test of 1968 which thought the Peugeot was suitable for African safaris and Arctic gales alike. Plus, a certain soigné charm -
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