203 'style'

[Steven King]

Unlikely to own a Cord, Bristol or Porsche, i find quiet satisfaction in looking at a 203 ... pictures by way of context, discussion to follow ... hopefully

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[Russell Hall]

The rear quarter of the Pobeida particularly the line of the roof gutter is remarkably similar to the 203, probably because both used wind tunnels in design. Although the Pobeida preceded the 203 by a year we can be confident the designers never saw each others designs. Both designs looked backwards to 1940 rather than forward to the 1950's.

 

[pugrambo]

Should have kept flipper windows on rear doors

It's easy enough to replicate as front and rear glass section is the same, have seen it done on Gary's white 203 when he used to run it

 

[Steven King]

They would scoop air in, no?

 

[Russell Hall]

The early 203 is such a beautiful, sleek design. Additions detract from it. Quarter vents on the 203C were a mistake. Americans were into streamlining but this was aerodynamics.
The design cues were American but Peugeot had looked to America and the Chrysler Airflow as inspiration for the 402 and the fuseau Sochaux models. The designers at Garenne had been cut off from American design for four years and missed the new trends heralded by Raymond Loewy at Studebaker. The American staff cars around liberated Paris were of great interest. Garenne had always admired the Lincoln Zephyr but the 1940 Willys, 1942 Hudson and others are quoted as providing influences. Design starts 1945, prototype 1946, production prototype 1947, release 1948, showroom sales 1949. A long lead time from design to production. Peugeot were very worried when the new modern designs appeared like the Facel designed Ford Comete that was the sensation of the Paris Show in 1951 and the new modern Simca Aronde. Peugeot were so worried about the Simca they were prepared to fit the new 1468cc motor to the 203 if necessary which led to the rumour of the 303 at the 1951 Paris Show.
Peugeot obviously lost some faith in their own designers because the 403 design was outsourced to Batitsa Farina who took more than a few styling cues from the Comete. A pleasant, even beautiful three box design but not as distinctive as the 203. Aerodynamics didn't get a look in at Farina and that was the end of the Peugeot aerodynamic period.

 

[pugrambo]

I loved the flipper windows in my 403
The draughting made the heater work so much better than cracking rear windows

 

[Russell Hall]

Quarter vents were appreciated by smokers and car thieves. In the era of hand signals they were an advantage because they reduced the airflow of the open window. There was a front quarter vent available as an option for early 203's. Don't know how they were attached. Fitted to the Harden & Johnston road test car.
Don't know if they swivelled.

 

[Steven King]

I read the Pobeda was in its final form by 1945 ( and i can't find any earlier sedans with 'slab' sides - that much was prescient ) so Peugeot may have seen them. As with Porsche, Peugeot do appear to have asserted their right to x0x numbers to GAZ at some stage.

Not only Peugeot but Volvo and Toyoda found Airflow ('34?) influential too, while it did seem to have preempted the market.

Buehrig's Cord of 1936 could not have escaped notice - this at least sounds like the 203;

"...a very heavy work load on the already faltering facilities and only a superhuman effort on the part of all concerned finally produced 100 hand-built cars ... this four-month effort ... the difficulties of limited fabricating facilities, and more important an obviously tight financial situation ... seemingly insurmountable obstacles ... worked to the advantage of the overall result. For instance, only two basic dies instead of four were used to form the sedan doors. The rear doors were juxtapositioned fronts with merely an extra trim die for the rear wheel cutouts. This was an economy measure that actually contributed to the overall continuity of design that is apparent in the total automobile. ..."
(The Cord Models 810 and 812 by William C. Kinsman, Profile Publications Number 35)

Aesthetic and engineering qualities helped the 203 in this market ( with distorted pricing as noted elsewhere ) competing with cars from the old country ( Jowett Javelin, Standard Vanguard ) less Europeans ( Volvo, Saab ) and more US ( the 'big three' ultimately to surf the cultural wave away from dated 'slopers' or 'fastbacks' ) but I wonder how threatening Volkswagen seemed at the time?

I would struggle now to describe a 203 to someone less than 60 without reference to a Beetle.

 

[Russell Hall]

Given the total miltarizaton of Russian output during the was it's remarkable they could get any automotive design work in. Their designers would have seen the Willys staff cars that were shipped.
The Peugeot patent to the three number model designation was ignored in Russia and Poland with a full set of 403 to past 412 series Moskvich from AZLK and the Polish Warsawa had a 203. Perhaps they did take notice later on with cars they wanted to export because Lada started with 2101 not 201.
Peugeot were offered Volkswagen as was every other car maker and all agreed with Henry Ford who said it was not worth a damn. John Pierre Peugeot was a pessimist and always remembered how Pierre Peugeot and Rosengart had nearly run the firm into bankruptcy in 1928. He worried the 203 wouldn't sell and then the 403. Of course both had two year waiting lists. Peugeot exported under urging from the French government and found the domestic market more profitable. The main problem the 203 and 403 gave the factory was how to increase production to meet demand without borrowing.
Peugeot play it down but they would have received government assistance to get back into production including Marshall Plan aid and compensation for the bombing raid. Being so close to the Swiss border it's likely the factory and family fortunes were secure compared to many industrial concerns who held reserves in the company safe.

 

[203]

In 1968 I bought a 1951 Harden and Johnston 203 ( 1177988 ) It had the quarter vents as shown in Russell's picture. They were attached to the door with neat chrome plated brackets and did not swivel. I removed them to respray the car with my landlady's vacuum cleaner and cannot remember refitting them.

 

[Russell Hall]

The add on quarter vent on a French 203. It was an advertised accessory in France. This one seems it might swivel.

 

[pugrambo]

I've seen them on 203's
In fact my uncle or maybe both have them

 

[Russell Hall]

Styling cues came from American cars. I always thought the 1942 Hudson influenced the front.

 

[Steven King]

i see what you mean.

 

[Russell Hall]

The ultimate in French aerodynamic efficiency. The Hotchkiss Gregoire that has a CX of 0.28 verified by modern testing. Hartnett had the import rights for the car but never brought them in. Peugeot were not interested after they took over Hotchkiss and closed the factory.
The 203 was claimed to be 0.36, not verified by modern testing. Comparisons are a 1990's Commodore was 0.42, the first Magna 0.35.

 

[pugwash]

Volvo PV544 IS is very similar also ,strange that aerodynamics don't feature in modern cars ,i suppose it doesn't make a lot of difference to cars sitting in traffic .pugs

 

[Russell Hall]

A few ads

 

[Steven King]

Thing i like best about that hulking, lumpen, Hudson is the bit like a 203 - and the thing i like least about the 203 is the same; the front.
Sublime 'wings' aside, those vertical & horizontal elements are, for me, the weakest parts of a design that is so pleasing in every other part.
American cars of the era ( of which the Hudson is typical ) offer few redeeming aspects, but italian designers refined the 'streamline' style.

 

[Steven King]

forgot the lincoln zephyr

 

[Steven King]

Pininfarina, Bertone, Touring, etc.,