This is Peugeot’s line-up of its 203 car range for the October 1954 Paris Salon: estate car, convertible and saloon. As this is a publicity picture, we should not be surprised that the drivers and their families are smiling – but they do at least have some new things to be happy about for 1954: synchromesh on all four forward gears, front seats convertible to couchettes (similar, presumably, in lack of comfort if not in mechanism to the dreaded beds of the same name on second-class French trains), and windscreen washers.
The 203 was a very successful car for Peugeot. Produced between 1948 and 1960, this large family car was Peugeot’s first new model launched after World War II, and nearly 700,000 of this model were produced at its Sochaux factory.
The 203 was the first monocoque bodied production Peugeot and was remarkably modern in appearance, with a strong resemblance to the American Chevrolet Fleetline fastback.
The final Peugeot 203 rolled off the production line on 25 February 1960.
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