1953 Peugeot 203 Sedan

Description

The Peugeot 203 was produced by the French car manufacturer between 1948 and 1960. Between the demise of the 202 in 1949 and the launch of the 403 in 1955, the 203 was the only model produced by Peugeot. The 203 was first exhibited at the Paris Motor Show in 1947 and production got under way late in 1948, with buyers taking delivery of 203s from early 1949. The 203 was the first new model produced by Peugeot after World War II and was also its first monocoque bodied model. It was powered by a 1290 cc four-cylinder engine that was unusual in its 'oversquare' cylinder dimensions and noted for the hemispherical form of the combustion chambers in the light metal cylinder heads. At launch, a power output of 31 kW was claimed. A column-mounted gear change controlled a four-speed manual gearbox, delivering power to the rear wheels. Suspension was independent up front by way of a transverse leaf spring, while the rear suspension was coil springs with a Panhard rod. Possibly the most significant upgrade occurred in March 1954 with a new four speed gearbox featuring synchromesh on all forward speeds. Cars delivered between 1949 and 1954 came without synchromesh on the bottom ratio. During its 12-year production run nearly 700,000 Peugeot 203s of all variants rolled off the assembly line in Sochaux, France, while the 203 was also assembled in Australia, beginning in 1953, and thus became the first Peugeot model to enter production here. The final Peugeot 203 rolled off the production line at the Peugeot Sochaux plant on 25 February 1960.