Peugeot 203 Walkaround

Peugeot is, and was for decades, one of France's three leading domestic automobile brands, along with Renault and Citroën.  World War 2 and its economic aftermath retarded development of replacements for its prewar line until the 203 was announced to the public in the Fall of 1948, the same time as Citroën's famous 2CV.  Renault's 4CV debuted in the Fall of 1946 and began production a year later thanks to development work done during the war..

Shown here is a Peugeot 203 displayed at the October 1948 Salon de l'Automobile in Paris, the 203's début.

The Wikipedia entry for the 203 is here, and my earlier post about the car is here.

I don't have a complete walkaround image set for the Peugeot 203, so below is a composite from two different cars.  The pale blue Peugeot is a 1949 model that was auctioned, though I don't have the exact photo source.  The wine-colored car is a 1958 model listed for sale.  As can be seen, exterior differences are trivial, despite the large model year difference.

Gallery

The license indicates that car was in the Bouches-du-Rhone département, where Marseilles is located.  My general impression is that it seems more American than sometimes quirky French designs such as Peugeot's own prewar "Fuseau-Sochaux" 202, 302 and 402 models.

What I see here is a scaled-down version of 1942-1947 General Motors styling.  Proportions are not the same due to its smaller size, but note some similarities.  These include the front fender overlapping the front door, the hood profile, the sides of the car flowing over the running board, the horizontal belt line (French ones usually dropped downward towards the rear) and the fastback profile.  A non- postwar GM feature is the front door's "suicide" hinging on the B-pillar.

Aft end styling reminds me of the Saab 92 that entered in production in 1949, its prototype appearing in 1947.  The two designs were likely developed independently of one another.

Rear styling was rather spartan in those days.  Note the shape transfer where the fastback meets the fender-aligned part of the trunk lid.

Wide C-pillar zone.  A three side-window arrangement could easily be called for from a practicality standpoint.  Perhaps the added cost of materials and assembly nixed the possibility.

Aesthetically, however, the two-window design seems more attractive than a three-window version would have been.

The flat windshield was old-fashioned from an American perspective, but practical from a postwar French one.

Simple grille, unlike the distinctive ones found on the prewar Peugeots mentioned above.  Lacks character and brand identity.  But it's practical, maybe a result of French logique.