Peugeot 203
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Peugeot 203 | |
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Manufacturer | Peugeot SA |
Production | 1948–1960 |
Successor | Peugeot 404 |
Body style | 4-door sedan |
Engine | 1.3 L I4 |
Length | 4350 mm |
Width | 1620 mm |
Height | 1500 mm |
The Peugeot 203 was a saloon car produced by the French manufacturer Peugeot between 1948 and 1960.
The 203 was Peugeot's first new model post-World War II. The model was produced from 1948 to 1960, during which time over 500,000 cars rolled off the assembly line in Sochaux, France. It was the only model produced by Peugeot from 1949 to 1954.
The 203 was initially a massive hit in France: the praticality, price and reliabilty of the car wooed many motorists. This soon lead to the exportation of 203s to Germany.
[edit] Cape Town - Paris
The was the route taken by Andre Mercier and de Cortanze in 1953, it was 15000km and they performed it in a record time of 17 days. The event also sparked interest in the incredible fuel economy of the vehicle - a single tank lasted 900km, even with the tough terrain.
In 2003 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the heroic journey, Didier Pjolet and Leigh Wootton both completed the feat in under a month. They were armed with their own 203s, one co-pilot respectivley and a film crew.
[edit] 2006 Redex Rerun
On 23rd April, 2006 in Sydney, about a dozen Peugeot 203 vehicles (together with other Peugeot models - 204, 403, 404) set off in the "Peugeot 2006 Round Australia Rerun". An event organised by Graham Wallis from the Peugeot Car Club of Victoria to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Ampol Round Australia Trial which was won by Wilf Murrell and Allan Taylor in a Peugeot 403 sedan after covering 12,000 miles of rugged Australian roads and tracks.
In 2003, Graham Wallis organised a 50th Anniversary Rerun of the 1953 Redex Round Australia Trial in which eleven Peugeot 203s started and all eleven 203s finished. The 203 win in the original Redex Trial put Peugeots on the post WW-II motoring map in Australia in a big way.
Peugeot, a marque of PSA Peugeot Citroën, road vehicle timeline, 1950s-1980s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Type | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||||||
City car | 104 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Supermini | 203 | 204 | 205 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Small family car | 304 | 305 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Large family car | 403 | 404 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Executive car | 504 | 505 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
604 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Off-road | P4 |