Sunday, January 29, 2012

Peugeot 404


The Peugeot 404 is a large family car produced by French automobile manufacturer Peugeot from 1960 to 1975, with the exception of the truck which was sold until 1988. It was also made under licence in various African countries until 1991 (in Kenya). It was also built in Argentina by Sevel.

Designed by Pininfarina, the 404 was offered initially as a saloon, estate, and pickup. A convertible was added in 1962, and a coupé in 1963. The 404 was fitted with a 1.6 L petrol engine, with either a Solex carburetor or Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection or a 1.9 L diesel engine available as options. Introduced at the Paris Motor Show as an option was the inclusion of a 3-speed ZF automatic transmission, similar to the unit already offered on certain BMW models, as an alternative to the standard column-mounted manual unit.


Popular as a taxicab, the 404 enjoyed a reputation for durability and value. Peugeot's French production run of 1,847,568 404s ended in 1975. Still relatively common in developing nations (especially in pickup form), an additional 2,885,374 units were produced under license until 1988.


404 Familiale

The 404 was tested (in Family estate form) by Motor magazine in 1965. The car's quirks (the unusual original column-shift gearbox gate and awkward body roll at low speed) are listed. Build quality was praised and the interior described as "quietly tasteful", although the authors felt that the appeal of the car was limited.

The car was tested again by Motor magazine five years later. The article is critical of the car's styling, calling it "square cut" and "hardly avant garde", but then relents and opts for "mature rather than dated" as its final comment. The ride is reported to improve as loading and speed increase. Of some concern to the testers was the driver's difficulty in reaching the handbrake when wearing a fixed seat-belt – inertia reel type belts would not have this problem. Alternative cars were listed as the Citroen Safari and Volvo 145. The car is described as having been used by one reader to transport the driver and 12 children.

An article in The Times newspaper on French-made cars includes a comparison of the outgoing 404 with the 504. The performance of both cars (given their engine size) is praised.

404 Diesel

During the 1960s Peugeot, along with Mercedes-Benz, were pioneering large scale production of diesel engined passenger cars. The British "Autocar" magazine tested a Peugeot 404 Diesel in November 1965. The car had a top speed of 81 mph (130 km/h) and accelerated from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 25.5 seconds. An "overall" fuel consumption of 32.2 miles per imperial gallon (8.77 L/100 km; 26.8 mpg-US) was recorded. This compared with a top speed of 88 mph (142 km/h), a 0-60 mph (97 km/h) time of 20 seconds and an overall fuel consumption of 32.2 miles per imperial gallon (8.77 L/100 km; 26.8 mpg-US) for the petrol version of the car which had recently been tested by the same journal and which (albeit without the diesel car's a rev limiter) had exactly the same gear ratios. In terms of performance the Peugeot comfortably outperformed the diesel Austin Cambridge and the Mercedes Benz 190D also included in the comparison. The slower Austin nonetheless won on fuel economy. In terms of price, the 404 diesel was offered in the UK at £1,396 as against £1,093 for its petrol fuelled sibling. The manufacturer's recommended price for the Austin was just £875. The slower heavier Mercedes was not really pitched at the same market segment, being priced in the UK at £2,050. The testers described the Peugeot 404 Diesel as 'the fastest diesel yet'. They reported the characteristic diesel rattle when idling and the 'roar at high revs', but found the performance 'very reasonable'. They commended the sure-footed road holding, good steering, powerful fade-free brakes, the comfortable seats, the very good fuel economy and the prospect for a 'long attention-free life'.

The 404 Diesel was tested again (in Family estate form) by Autocar magazine six years later. Top speed was improved on the previous test, 82 mph (132 km/h), but acceleration to 60 mph was poorer at 26.8 seconds. Notable features in the report were that the test car had broken two speedometer cables during testing. They mention its size twice: "wonderfully roomy" and "a big car for big men". The cars "oddities" are listed as the reverse-acting gearbox gate, window-sill door locks and windscreen wiper controls.



Specification 1971 Peugeot 404 76 hp
Engine 1618 cc 4-cylinder
Power 72 hp @5400 rpm
Transmission 4 speed manual
Chassis Unitary
Suspension Independent front, rigid rear
Brakes Disc brakes front, drum brakes rear
Top speed 148
Acceleration 0-100 km/h 17,8 sec
Dimensions LxWxH 4,45x1,62x1,45 m



The Peugeot 404 came out in May 1960. Like its predecessor the 404 was designed by Pininfarina. Its angular styling was similar to that of the BMC A55 and Fiat 1800. 

 Der Peugeot 404 kam aus Mai 1960. Wie sein Vorgänger der 404 wurde von Pininfarina entworfen. Seine eckige Styling war ähnlich wie der BMC A55 und Fiat 1800.

 La Peugeot 404 è uscito nel maggio 1960. Come il suo predecessore, il 404 è stato progettato da Pininfarina. Il suo stile angolare era simile a quello della A55 BMC e Fiat 1800.

 La Peugeot 404 est sorti en mai 1960. Comme son prédécesseur, le 404 a été conçue par Pininfarina. Son style angulaire a été similaire à celui de l'A55 BMC et Fiat 1800.

 جاءت بيجو 404 في شهر مايو 1960. مثل سابقتها تم تصميم 404 من بينينفارينا. تم تصميمها الزاوي مماثلة لتلك التي من A55 BMC وفيات 1800

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