Top five Peugeot cars to invest in

Peugeot as much as Volkswagen changed the way Australian motorists thought about small-engined cars.

Until September 1953, when Maitland pharmacist Ken Tubman 1953 drove his (1290cc four-cylinder) Peugeot 203 to victory in the inaugural Redex Round-Australia Trial, Australians had an ingrained preference for six-cylinder or V8 cars.

Eleven 203s entered and finished, while the highest-placed Holden came fourth. This set the Peugeot lion among the Holden pigeons.

The tough and durable 203 incorporated some advanced engineering – wet-sleeve engine, rack-and-pinion steering, overdriven top gear, long-travel suspension. It cruised more effortlessly at 65-70mph than Australia’s Own.

Progressive upgrades kept the 203 competitive until it was supplanted by the larger (three-box-styled, by Pininfarina) in 1955.

I say ‘supplanted’ because the 203 remained on sale until 1960, by which time the 403’s successor, the 404, had arrived and the 403 outlasted the advent of the 404; this was Peugeot’s way of saying how good its about-to-be-superseded models were!

The 403 had a 1.5-litre engine which delivered real-world performance at least equal to the contemporaneous Holdens with far superior steering, handling and brakes.

It had a magnificent ride but could handle Australia’s most rugged roads. You could (as in the 203) recline the front seats flat to make a comfortable bed.

In 1960 Road & Track listed the 403 as one of the seven best cars in the world regardless of price. That same year Geoff Russell drove his 403B to second outright behind a Vauxhall Cresta in the inaugural Armstrong 500-mile race at Phillip Island for standard production cars.

Peugeot began Australian assembly in 1953 and in the late 1950s 203s and 403s were plentiful here.

The Peugeot 404 offered an even more compelling argument for choosing a four-cylinder car instead of a Holden, Falcon or even a Valiant.

Local assembly meant that the price was barely higher than a Holden Special/Kingswood. Power steadily grew throughout the 1960s and the last of the line cars could approach 100mph and had front disc brakes.

Its 504 successor was almost 50 per cent dearer thanks to a lower percentage of local content but was utterly outstanding, almost the equal of a Jaguar XJ6 as an interstate cruiser (and much more reliable, as well as more capable on rough roads).

The gearchange had finally moved off the steering column and onto the floor. Early 504s came with a modestly powered 1.8. This was soon enlarged to 2.0 litres and the only negative disappeared.

The 505 was fully imported from 1979 and could not compete on value with the similarly sized Holden Commodore. Sales slowed. The 505 was barely better than its predecessor, although still excellent.

Power steering was introduced and the 1983 STi and 1985 GTi fuel-injected versions brought a welcome performance boost.

These five rear-wheel drive Peugeots played a key role in the Australian motoring scene over more than three decades and are now much lamented, largely because their front-drive successors have been more mainstream and less charming.

Wagons were also available and there was a brilliant 404 utility.

Anyone accustomed to a Chevrolet, Ford or Holden had to adapt their driving style for this car. For starters, it lacked the lowdown torque which meant plenty of gearchanging.

The gearchange itself was uniquely configured with second and third gears in the same central plane, first away and down and overdrive top towards the driver and up.

The top speed was just over 70mph but – terrain and traffic permitting – this was also its cruising speed.

Ride comfort was very good and the 203 was at least the equal of a Holden on rough roads (they have those in France, too!). The steering gave great feel and was very direct. In summary, this was a driver’s car.

The final 203C edition even had synchromesh on first gear.

Price range: $10,000-$20,000

Despite being bigger and heavier, the 403 actually feels nimbler than the 203. But all the older model’s positive attributes were further improved.

It rode so well that Rolls-Royce regarded it as the benchmark for that attribute.

From 1961 top gear was direct rather than overdriven, making it more suitable for everyday driving. Third gear could take you to 70mph, which was almost the maximum speed of some rivals.

Pininfarina gave the 403 a really elegant body with exceptional all-round vision.

Price range: $10,000-$20,000

It is unfortunate that Pininfarina’s 404 design looks so much like cars he created for Fiat (1800/ 2100/ 2300) and BMC (Austin A60, Morris Oxford, Wolseley 15/60, etc), but it is a neat and clean design with excellent vision and those tiny rear fins make reversing easy.

In essence, the 404 was a more modern and more powerful 403. Like its predecessors, the 404 benefitted from numerous improvements throughout its tenure, including the adoption of a more conventional gearchange pattern towards the end.

Price range: $5000-$15,000

At least this Pininfarina design was not ‘shared’ with other manufacturers and the 504 remains unique and arguably the best of all rear-drive Peugeots.

In 2.0-litre manual guise, this was a genuine sports luxury car of outstanding overall ability. Pre-1976 models have stronger performance and superior fuel economy, thanks to the punitive ADR27a introduced on July 1, 1976 to limit exhaust emissions.

This was the last Peugeot to be assembled in Australia and, sadly, the worst attribute of these cars was their love affair with ferrous-oxide.

Renault Australia was the assembler and there were some pretty unappealing colours including the aptly named Avocado (with matching green trim!) and a lurid mulberry shade.

Price range: $5000-$10,000

Early 505s used the carryover carbureted 2.0-litre engine and were lacklustre performers, due to extra avoirdupois and the aforementioned ADR27a.

Steering was great on the move but very heavy at parking speeds. Later cars had power steering.

The 1983 STi had mechanical fuel-injection and offered a fair turn of speed but was afflicted with most un-Peugeot-like low gearing. The electronically-injected GTi of 1984 was an impressive car but it no longer enjoyed clear advantages over rivals, most of which had caught up.

In summary, then, the 403, 404 and 504 (2.0-litre version, pre-1976) were the absolute standouts of an exceptional range of cars on which built Peugeot a reputation it no longer enjoys.

Price range: $4000-$8000