Peugeot 404 Fuel Injected in Australia

There are lots of differences. The fuel tank is different, a fuel return line has to be added, the cam is different, the head, the distributor and so on and so forth. If it had been possible it'd have probably cost half the value of the new car, at least.
 
geedee said:
Are there any long standing dealers or salesmen who can confirm that 404,s could be fitted with Injection if returned to the factory in Melbourne. My informant assures me this was done.
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Hi geedee. I began my apprenticeship at Renault Australia 449 punt rd Richmond in the first week of feb 1970 when 404,s were still new and we never had any such conversions as such.as Russell hall said we did service/warranty work there but no major changes/modifications as such to my recollection,besides those done by enzo dozzi and bruce shepherd to Renaults in the rally workshop on the top floor........more brain backspacing..........jim
 
If there was ever a case for importing injected 404's into Australia it was for the Ampol Trial in 1964. They didn't need to sell many, and it could have been done at a loss. Ford did it all the time. But was the 404 injection available in RHD in 1964? It appeared in England and in the Safari in 1965.
 
dacia4x4 said:
Hi geedee. I began my apprenticeship at Renault Australia 449 punt rd Richmond in the first week of feb 1970 when 404,s were still new and we never had any such conversions as such.as Russell hall said we did service/warranty work there but no major changes/modifications as such to my recollection,besides those done by enzo dozzi and bruce shepherd to Renaults in the rally workshop on the top floor........more brain backspacing..........jim
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The 404KF2 went out of production in the summer of 1968 and the last cars with this engine were 404Cs assembled as late as September 1968.
 
Mike Tippett said:
The 404KF2 went out of production in the summer of 1968 and the last cars with this engine were 404Cs assembled as late as September 1968.
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too right mike,all the new 404,s that I can remember coming through were carburettored.i think there was a few months overlap of new 404,s still coming through once the 504 was introduced here in early 1970.........a bit foggy brain backspace......jim
 
I purchased a new 404 from the showroom floor of Renault Australia in Adelaide in June 1970. At the time I was aware it was probably the last one available for sale. The vehicle was a beautiful dark green colour with dark brown seats. I remember it with great affection, for its driving precision, supple suspension and the lovely feel of its gear change mechanism.

I traded my 1966 404, a secondhand dark grey sedan which had served me well. The salesman was Fred Cronin and the service manager a young man in his twenties named Tony Goode. Are those names familiar ro any readers?

Peter
 
The introduction of the 504 at a much higher price did two things. It gave enormous favourable publicity to the make with universal favorable reviews and it made people realise what great value the 404 was. If the 404 was kept on the lines it would have sold very well. I don't know when the last car left the line but it was sold before it hit the road. Dealers would not entertain 404 orders after the 504 was released. There were 6 to 8 cars left over and sat in the open at Heidelberg waiting for parts to be finished. Dealers sold them for $3300 in 1972. The finish wasn't that good either. The 404 that was available in quantity was the ute. In a typical Renault marketing operation Renault decided to drop a model that was selling strongly (the sedan) and instead introduce a model that had no existing market demand. The 203 ute had sold well, the 403 ute less so. The pricing was wrong, it was over the market and cab chassis without trays were shipped out to country dealers who wondered what to do with them. As the Horsham dealer said looking at his showroom ute, "can't put a haybale on that". Anyway they produced them, lots of them, in light green or white and stacked them around the factory and every fenced vacant lot or yard in West Heidelberg. They sold them all eventually with some savage discounting with a sale written under $1700. Keeping the 404 alongside the 504 was a lost marketing opportunity for Renault particularly after they stuffed up the tariff rules, got hit with a million dollar tariff bill and had to jack the 504 price up so high it hit sales. But that was the way they did business.
The 404 was the car that could really have taken off for Peugeot in Australia but from start to finish wasn't handled properly.
 
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My father bought a new 404 in 1970 for $2,595 from Seymour's of Roseville. Magnificent car! I remember a friend girl commenting how much nicer it was than her father's new Volvo 164, which would have cost nearly twice the price. I always remember my father's comments about the car after a trip to the NSW North Coast - "...just like skimming along on hot oil!" - meaning the road noise was zero and the ride was excellent, as was the handling.

The only problem I had with the 404 was the styling, which could have been a lot better.
 
In 1970 with rising inflation the 404 was the same price as in 1965 and cheaper than a Holden. It was the best value car on the market which is why the 1970 models were snapped up.
The Pininfarina styling with the low bonnet line was breathtakingly modern in 1960. It was better proportioned than the Farina BMC and Fiat models and it is pleasant to look at. It did suffer from Pininfarina's one shape suits all approach to their clients. To my eye it has aged well.
 
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