Peugeot 201

Peugeot 201

Overview
Manufacturer	Peugeot SA
Production	1929-1937 142,309 units
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door saloon other bodies available
Layout	FR layout
Powertrain
Engine	1085 cc - 1465cc straight four
Dimensions
Wheelbase	247 cm (97.2 in)
Length	3,800 mm (149.6 in)
Width	1,350 mm (53.1 in)
Curb weight	890 kg (1,962 lb)
Chronology
Predecessor	Peugeot Type 190
Successor	Peugeot 202

Interior

The 201 was typical of many western European family saloons in the way that during the 1930s the standard body was redesigned to incorporate new ideas on streamlining

The Peugeot 201 is a car that Peugeot produced between 1929 and 1937.

The car was built at the company's Sochaux plant near the Swiss frontier, and is today celebrated in the adjacent Peugeot museum. Although Peugeot had produced a petrol/gasoline powered motor vehicle as early as 1886, it is reasonable to see the 201 as the company's first volume model.^[1]

History

The 201 was presented at the 1929 Paris Motor Show as the Wall Street Crash burst upon the world. Many European manufacturers would not survive the shock waves emanating from New York, but the compact no-nonsense 201 would match the mood of the moment, enabling Peugeot to survive the economic crisis with its finances intact and its status as a major league auto producer confirmed.^[2]

Models

During the 1930s Peugeot offered several variants of the 201, and the engine capacity grew.

Initially, it was powered by a 1122 cc engine developing 23 horsepower (17 kW) at 3500 rpm (top speed: 80 km/h / 50 mph). There followed an engine of 1307 cc, and finally a 1465 cc unit of 35 hp (26 kW).

The 201C launched in 1931 is claimed as the first volume produced car equipped with independent front suspension, a concept rapidly adopted by the competition. The simpler beam front axle version continued available, but the independent system reportedly improved road holding and reduced steering column vibration.

The name game

In the early decades of the twentieth century automakers paid very little attention to the naming of their cars. The 201's predecessor, the Type 190 is so named, at least in retrospect, because it was the 190th distinct design developed by Peugeot. However, at the time few customers would have been aware of the name "Type 190". Even in the company's own brochures, the car now remembered as the Type 190 was simply called "La 5CV Peugeot" (The Peugeot 5 hp).

For Peugeot things changed when the Type 190 gave way to the Peugeot 201.^[3] The 201 was the first Peugeot to carry a name comprising three numerals with a central zero. Peugeot took effective steps to protect all such automobile names, to the discomfiture of Porsche in the 1960s as they prepared to launch their iconic new 901 model. Curiously, having a Ferrari 308 was not a problem.

Light commercials

Between 1931 and 1933 the company produced 1,676 commercial versions of the 201, aimed at small shopkeepers and other businessmen. A wide range of body types was produced including a little flatbed truck, a "bakers' van" and light vans with and without side windows behind the B-pillar.

During the early 1930s panel van and light truck versions of the Peugeot 201 were also produced.

Sources

↑ "1929 : 201". peugeot.com. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
↑ "Automobilia". Toutes les voitures françaises 1932 (salon [Paris, Oct] 1931): Comme tous constructeurs français, Peugeot souffre de la dépression économique mondiale et ses cadences de production s’effondrent. [...] Malgré ce ralentissement sensible de son activité en 1932, Peugeot traverse la crise sans trop de dommages grâce à la 201 dont le caractère économique devient un argument déterminant dans cette période difficile. (Paris: Histoire & collections). Nr. 80s: Page 74. 2006.
↑ Musée de l'Aventure Peugeot. The exhibit label (2012) states: « Jusqu'à présente le modèles Peugeot se suivaient dans une numérotation plus ou moins logique qui d’ailleurs n’était que peu utilise par la publicité. Par exemple le 190 S était présenté dans les brochures sous le nom « Le 5 CV Peugeot ». Avec la 201 une ère novelle commence.»

Auto passion, nbr 37, juillet 1990
Rétro hebdo, nbr 28, septembre 1997
Rétroviseur ISSN 0992-5007, nbr 58

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Peugeot, a marque of PSA Peugeot Citroën, road vehicle timeline, 1889–1944 — next »
Type		1890s										1900s										1910s										1920s										1930s										1940s
Type	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	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
Supermini	1	2	3 / 4			5 / 6 / 7 / 8				21 / 24 / 30 / 31				37	54							57	69 "Bébé"								B P1/ B3/P1 "Bébé"¹											161/172 "Quadrilette"				5CV			190
Supermini											26 / 27 / 28				48							126																			201									202
Small family car									14 / 15 / 25						56	58	68	VA/VC/VY¹				V2C/V2Y¹			VD/VD2¹						159	163												301				302
Small family car													33 / 36			63			99	108	118	125													173 / 177 / 181 / 183
Family car						9 / 10 / 11 / 12				16 / 17 / 19 / 32				49/50		65/67	77	78	88			127		143		153						153 B/BR					176									401		402
Family car								18						39		61	71	81	96	106	116	126	138												175
Large family car										23					42/43/44	62	72	82	92	104	112/117/ 122/130/134		139		145/146/148										174 / 184
Large family car																66	76	83	93				135									156
Executive car																		80	103		113		141			147/150
Executive car																		85	95	105
Cabriolet / Spider																		91		101/120		133 / 111/129/131	136			144
Panel van							13			22			34/35
Minibus									20 / 29											107
¹ These cars were marketed as "Lion-Peugeots", produced by what was till 1910 a separate Peugeot company, run by cousins of Armand Peugeot, then in charge of the principal automobile business. In 1910, Armand having no sons of his own, it was agreed that the two branches of the Peugeot business be reunited.