The lifesaving 203

Ray Bell

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Standing alongside a couple of early post-war Dodges, this 203 spent time as an ambulance in Victoria.

Why not?
 

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Ray Bell said:
Standing alongside a couple of early post-war Dodges, this 203 spent time as an ambulance in Victoria.

Why not?


Why not?
'Cos if you needed to get to help in a hurry a commercial 203 would not be the fastest of devices. It would go up the side of a house in top gear but would take it's time doing so...
 
Ah... naysayers!

Let's see... it had slightly bigger tyres than a sedan... it had a 6.25:1 diff instead of a 5.75:1, the sedan could run along easily at 75 mph all day, so the wagon could probably sit on 70mph all day.

Would you really like to be going that quickly in that old Fargo with a beam front axle? Especially if you were knocked about?
 
A Thing Of Great Beauty

Ray Bell said:
Standing alongside a couple of early post-war Dodges, this 203 spent time as an ambulance in Victoria.

Why not?


Why do 203 wagons always strike a chord in the heart of Peugeot fans?

One of friends has one "almost" restored Cream 203C Wagon, similar to the one in the pic. A couple of times a years when the weather is nice we take it for drive through the Dandenong Hllls and have a picnic in Kallista. It is still a pleasure drive, although a little slow, complete with quirky change to 2nd gear (you need to shuffle) and the ride and handling on dirt roads is still creditable even by todays standards.

I may not be as fast, or as big as the others shown. But I'm sure it was just a fast point to point, a pleasure to drive and a whole lot safer.

Where the photo come from Ray ? What area of Victoria ?
 
Would there have been more 203 wagons in the ambo's?
I'd imagine that they would have been bought en masse and not singulary by local stations.

Any AFers who are in the TAC/RTA that might know what happened to this one from the rego number?


Decca
 
203 ambulance

any chance of a bigger file for publication in Pug mags please?
email file would be great

specially styled bodies were also fitted to Aussie 203 ambulances
not at all like the French ones

Alpine
 
The drivers liked that 203 ambulance in Horsham, it could get to Melbourne faster than the bigger units because of its superior handling.
There is a story about it. In an early Sun rally in the '50's, a 203 rally car collided head on with a Volkswagen in the Grampian mountains. When the ambulance arrived, it was the 203. On the way to hospital, it broke down. The driver didn't have a clue so the Peugeot rally driver got out and cleaned the fuel filter.
I believe someone has a 203 ambulance under restoration.
The November edition of Torque has a restored 203 ambulance in it. Found in WA and taken to QLD. The body is longer and wider than a normal van.
 
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