The Peugeot 204 is a small family car that Peugeot built from 1965 to 1976. It was presented in Paris on 23 April 1965 and became the best-selling car in France from 1969 to 1971.
Peugeot 204 at a glance
| Production | 1965–1976 |
|---|---|
| Project code | D12 |
| Launch | 23 April 1965, Paris |
| Layout | front-wheel drive, transverse engine |
| Engine | 1,130 cc single overhead cam petrol, 53 hp |
| Later petrol | 1,127 cc, 59 hp, from September 1975 |
| Diesel | 1,255 cc from late 1968, 1,357 cc from April 1973 |
| Bodies | saloon, estate, coupé, cabriolet, van |
| Brakes | front discs, a first for Peugeot |
| Best seller | France’s best-selling car, 1969–1971 |
History of the Peugeot 204
The launch
Known in development as Project D12, the 204 was launched in Paris on 23 April 1965 with a single overhead cam 1,130 cc petrol engine, the largest capacity allowed for the 6CV tax class in France. It was the first Peugeot with front-wheel drive and the first with front disc brakes, and the car soon became France’s best-selling model, a position it held from 1969 to 1971.
Engine and layout
The 204’s aluminium engine was mounted transversely, with the gearbox and differential directly below the block, which gave more passenger space for a given wheelbase and set the pattern for small European front-wheel-drive cars. The fan belt had to turn through 90 degrees to reach the radiator fan ahead of the engine. The car had good handling, decent performance and excellent fuel economy.
At the end of 1968 a 1,255 cc diesel became available for the estate and the van, believed at the time to be the smallest diesel engine in a series-production car anywhere in the world. In April 1973 it grew to 1,357 cc, and in September 1975 the diesel finally became an option on the saloon. The diesel 204 returned about 5.7 l/100 km with a claimed top speed of 130 km/h; of roughly 150,000 diesel cars built, fewer than 30,000 were saloons. In September 1975, less than a year before the end, the petrol engine was replaced by a more modern 1,127 cc unit of 59 hp, up from 53 hp at launch.
The body
The 204 was a Pininfarina design, and its wide body gave interior space comparable to the larger 404, also a Pininfarina car, without the fins of the 404 or the sharp corners of the Renault 16. The front owed much to the 1961 Cadillac Jacqueline by Pininfarina, and the rear was close to that of the Pininfarina-styled Mini-based MG ADO 34 prototype of 1964. The body was one of the first shaped with spline curves and the first full application of Bézier curves as implemented in the UNISURF software.
At launch only the four-door saloon was offered, but the five-door break arrived in the autumn of 1965, the two-door cabriolet and three-door coupé in 1966 on a shortened chassis at about 20% above the saloon price, and the fourgonnette van completed the range that year with one door on each side and steel panels behind the B-pillar. The 304 of 1969 was essentially a 204 with a larger engine and a restyled front, and the 204 range was cut back: the coupé and cabriolet were withdrawn in 1970, while the saloon, estate and van continued until 1976. Very early saloons had a split rear bumper with the number plate between the halves; for 1975 the stainless grille became black plastic.
Design and features
- First front-wheel drive: a transverse aluminium engine with the gearbox below it.
- Front disc brakes: another first for a Peugeot.
- Smallest diesel: a 1,255 cc diesel in a car of this size in 1968.
- Economy: about 5.7 l/100 km from the diesel version.
- Pininfarina body: shaped with early computer curve software.
Peugeot 204 versions
- Saloon (1965): the original four-door.
- Break (1965): the five-door estate.
- Coupé and cabriolet (1966): shortened chassis, replaced by 304 versions in 1970.
- Fourgonnette (1966): van with steel panels in place of rear side windows.
- 204 Diesel (1968): 1,255 cc, then 1,357 cc from 1973.
The 204 sat below the Peugeot 404 and was effectively replaced by the 304, which grew from the same design. More in the Peugeot collection.
Video: Peugeot 204
Video by on YouTube.
Sources
- Peugeot 204, English Wikipedia: launch, engine, layout, bodies, production
