As the title says, a thread for disconnected ramblings about early Peugeots. It can wander wherever it wants and opinions are welcome.
Disconnected Ramblings
- Thread starter Russell Hall
- Start date
To begin - following on from the discussion of tyres. The Peugeot construction system was based on the mechanicals being moved down the line as a rolling chassis to be mated with the body. The Australian cars had 16 inch wheels and no tyres. They must have been fitted with 400mm wheels and tyres as they went down the line. The cars were driven off the line as part of the test process. At some stage probably in the rail yard they had to have the wheels changed to bare rims. As the cars were still being sling loaded in 1950 this would not have been a major problem. This is the only photo of cars going to Australia and may have been the "special steamer" carrying 500 cars that arrived January 1950. When they got to Sydney moving them to the yard for the tyre fitters would have been a problem. They were fitted with batteries and the yellow headlamp globes changed. The Port of Sydney complained about cars clogging the port in 1950. There was a six week strike in the port in 1950.
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Seems they were from the outset designed with ambidextrous-ness in mind - if not later when it came to fitting off.
All those Australian requirements ( no sunroof, primer, disassembled (?) for CKD ) must have been frustrating.
All those Australian requirements ( no sunroof, primer, disassembled (?) for CKD ) must have been frustrating.
Peugeot were certainly willing to accommodate Australian requirements because we were a very important export market at a difficult time. Peugeot had concentrated on the French market during the 1930's and the strategy had been very profitable. This lack of enthusiasm for exports is said to have persisted into the 1970's. Now as part of the Pons Plan they were required to export half their production beyond France and the colonies. Harden and Johnston told the story differently but they were late in joining CCM to import. Johnston was in France negotiating the contract at the end of 1949, just in time for the first large shipment. He said he had never seen men work as hard as at Sochaux. I suspect it was Johnston who inflated potential sales for the 203 in Australia that led to the Peugeot press release of December in which they announced they would send 4500 cars a year to Australia. The market for the 203 got to half that eventually in the boom year of 1955. So Peugeot were willing to do all sorts of thing for Australia even though they would have caused problems in the factory. They could only have sold that many 203's if they had dropped the price by 10%. Peugeots were mostly considered overpriced on the Australian market and sales doubled or halved depending on price increases or reductions. The import operation was set up to give a good return to everyone involved rather than to sell a lot of cars on a low profit margin. It would have been better if there was single importer for all of Australia but that didn't happen until 1959.
Black was a popular colour in 1951. Small world. Workshop is 243 Park St Ballarat. Just behind LaTrobe St.
Pete was unable to find any info about it from the vendor of the thing in the foreground, only:
“Many nice cars here, from minis to Lamborghini’s...”
“Many nice cars here, from minis to Lamborghini’s...”
Business is 3P Automotive.
Ballarat had a lot of Peugeots because of this good dealer.
When you do serious research into any topic it's necessary to separate verifiable fact from stories. There are probably more interesting motoring stories than in most fields. All with the benefit of frequent retelling so there are facts that people "know". They are then repeated by writers who probably should know better. Eleven Peugeots started the 1953 Redex and eleven finished. So cancelling the unsuccessful E.W. Grey. Rommel's command Peugeot imported as a war trophy. So many stories around the 203. But none were as difficult to pin down as the stories around the 202 and its marketing in pre-war Australia. I was told the model was sold here before the war. It was one of the things that people knew. Ewan Kenndy repeated it in his book and said quite a few were sold. Stories were often colorful and included naval seizures. Quite a lengthy research job but interesting. I suspect the case of the DKW's that Regent Motors had the misfortune to land in Melbourne the first week of the war somehow became changed into 202's being captured in a seized Axis ship. But when all that was done, we still had the 1938 model 202 in NSW. Surely evidence of marketing? Except when the car was passed on it was proved to be a 1948 BH. A lesson on not relying on single sources.
203's in their natural habitat the Western District of Victoria.
Garage and Motor Trader, Queensland 1955
Weekly Times 1955. In 1955 106 203 utes were registered Australia wide. Registrations of 203 utes 1951 to 1958 were 604 total.
There have always been people prepared to defraud their fellow citizens if given a chance and the motor trade opened up a new field for such people. DeLuxe Motors seemed a solid business, a capital of 30,000 pounds, a good representative for Peugeot in NSW actively seeking country dealers. But the manager and accountant weren't satisfied with steady returns. They discovered quicker profits could be made from selling cars they didn't actually own and negotiating loans for cars that existed only on paper. Not the last to come up with such schemes. But like later practitioners of the con they made the fatal mistake of not just defrauding unsuspecting members of the public but trying to take down a hard eyed money lender. I can find no record that they actually answered bail. In those days the law enforcement relationship between the states was nearly as separate as that of foreign countries so it was possible to avoid a court appearance for a less than major crime by moving interstate.
Having an unreserved auction of twenty new Peugeots including some without bodies was not an activity to build confidence in the make or support used values.
Having an unreserved auction of twenty new Peugeots including some without bodies was not an activity to build confidence in the make or support used values.
Ever since Peugeot established an official presence in Australia in 1915 there had been a concessionaire for Australia. This was a low profile position. His role was to appoint state dealers and presumably handle orders/transactions between Peugeot and the state dealers. Alfred Mather had been the exception. He had actively promoted the cars and his family company, the French Auto Company, dealt in them. After his bankruptcy the concession was granted to a Henry Smith of William St Melbourne who left little recorded impact on the motor trade. He appointed new state dealers but seems to have chosen poorly with De Luxe Motors. He duly granted the NSW agency to an R.C. Clark who transferred the right to a new firm, Consolidated Motors. This firm boasted two firsts - the first multi - make car dealer in NSW with FIAT and Chandler as well as Peugeot and the first car dealer to allow the public to invest in their operation with a share offer. Things looked good with a Peugeot showroom in William Street. Peugeot thought so because in late 1926 Peugeot signed a contract with them for three years.
But in late 1927 with no comment in the press they had gone. The firm was liquidated and the Peugeot stock sold by auction.
But in late 1927 with no comment in the press they had gone. The firm was liquidated and the Peugeot stock sold by auction.
You'd feel like a goldfish in the Cinq.
It would be interesting to find out what happened to the shareholders' funds.
THE COMPANIES ACT, 1899.
Consolidated Motors Limited.
* Special Resolution.
Passed, 3rd November, 1927; confirmed, 18th November, 1927.
AT an Extraordinary.General Meeting of the Members of Consolidated Motors Limited, duly convened and Held on 3rd day of November, 1927, the following Resolution was duly passed; and at a subsequent Extraordinary General Meeting of the Members of the said Company, duly convened and held on the 18th day of November, 1927, the said Resolution was duly confirmed as a Special Resolution:—
Resolution.
That the Company be voluntarily wound up forthwith, and that Mr. Thomas Andrew Lawrie, of Sydney, Company Manager, be appointed Liquidator for the purpose of, such winding-up.
Dated at Sydney, this 18th.day of November, 1927.
T. M. GO0DALL,
It would be interesting to find out what happened to the shareholders' funds.
THE COMPANIES ACT, 1899.
Consolidated Motors Limited.
* Special Resolution.
Passed, 3rd November, 1927; confirmed, 18th November, 1927.
AT an Extraordinary.General Meeting of the Members of Consolidated Motors Limited, duly convened and Held on 3rd day of November, 1927, the following Resolution was duly passed; and at a subsequent Extraordinary General Meeting of the Members of the said Company, duly convened and held on the 18th day of November, 1927, the said Resolution was duly confirmed as a Special Resolution:—
Resolution.
That the Company be voluntarily wound up forthwith, and that Mr. Thomas Andrew Lawrie, of Sydney, Company Manager, be appointed Liquidator for the purpose of, such winding-up.
Dated at Sydney, this 18th.day of November, 1927.
T. M. GO0DALL,
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Something must have gone wrong. Closing a business by liquidation seems drastic.
Horsham Ambulance Station in 1954. The 203 ambulance story revisited.
