Lunch can wait; but this superbly elegant Peugeot 504 Cabriolet can’t. Shot in Toulouse, France by coopey, he has this to say about it:
Quite a surprising spot, which had been in my unicorn objective list for many years. It was parked beside the university so whether the owner is a teacher or a student his or her taste was utterly appropriate for this environment. Besides, it adds the pinch of retro-class the old town boundaries need giving the current renewing because of the streetcar.
The car looked tidy enough to ensure it’ll still last a long time. Superb Italian design, which shone more on these earlier ’70s units before the restyling. I presume there can’t be many more in that city.
The Pininfarina-designed Peugeot cabriolets and coupes had a tradition of melding the sedan’s comfort and robustness with refined design and excellent workmanship to make a comfortable touring car, in the vein of the Mercedes SLs of yore. This is from the first series (1970 – 1974), but those distinctive alloy wheels are not stock. They’re a design that I think first showed up on the Lamborghini Marzal prototype (I could be wrong), and were used on some other exotics. Maybe someone will fill us in, because now I really do need to eat. Tasty car!
Never seen or heard of this car before, but I definitely like it.
I take it that this is a newer version of the car Columbo drove on TV?
Essentially, yes. But the 403 he drove mostly had the body shell of the 403 sedan, modified as a convertible; basically a ragtop 403.. The 404 and 504 Cabriolets/Coupes had completely different bodies from the corresponding sedans. This is the 404 version.
This wheel design was available in the UK for most cars from Cosmic Alloy Wheels. It wouldn’t be my choice if this was my car.
Didn’t those wheels come on some Volvo 1800s?
The Marzal (1965) had a wheel that had some openings like that, but not as many, and closer to the hub. It’s based on Italian sports/racing wheels of the period, either a Cromadora or Campagnola. I can’t find a ready history of all of them.
This is a rare bird indeed, never seen one live, even here in Northern California where one eventually sees everything. I did have a post on a different website bemoaning my inability to get certain parts for my 504 and got a response from a very nice guy in Boston who owns (and drives) a 504 Cabriolet – so there’s at least one on the road in the states. He said he got most of his parts from the French E-Bay (leboncoin). That’s the kind of dedication this car creates (in a special few).
I have never seen this French cutie before, but she sure looks a lot like her Italian cousin
This is a seriously amazing find for a curbside classic – it and things like the Corniche or Matador Barcelona need some sort of category of their own (Unicorn?)
I have seen a couple of these and the even rarer 404 cabrio, as collectors have brought a few of them out from France in recent years. One told me a great story that somebody almost abused him for driving his immaculate 404 cabrio through Paris – he was told he should not be subjecting such a rare and irreplaceable car (replacement body panels are not available) to the dangers of Parisian traffic.
Well, kudos to whoever owns a 404 cabrio and DOES drive it! Even as a kid in France in the 1970s I hardly ever saw one. They never were cheap cars to begin with.
504 cabrios were a little bit more common. Still are. Coupés too. But the 1st series pictured here is a very fine one. Given the money needed to keep it in that condition I’m not sure it qualifies as a student’s car, my guess is rather a fiftysomething tenured prof with no kids…
Bloody rare car alrite, I like it
These are still pretty common over here in Switzerland and you can typically find half a dozen for sale at any given time. Prices are usually in the $20K range for a good one.
My guess is that these wheels are original as I have seen an early car (1970) with the exact same wheels for sale.
I have wanted One of these for over 25 years in White with black interior earlier quad lamp model just like this infact. This time last year I found a RHD model in the UK and have spent a year enjoying what is truly a wonderful car in both terms of design and function.
Unfortunatly I need to invest in my house and my love affair will have to end soon. If anyone is interested in an almost identical car in RHD and no rust with original floors, sills and perfect Black leather interior. Let me know Iam near Bournemouth in the UK and I am looking for around £10k.
mm mmm
Nice to see the 504 Cabriolet appreciated! I’ve had mine (1975 V6 “B31”) since importing it to the States in late 2000. Great car, very enjoyable in nice weather, reasonably reliable and most parts are available if you know where to look (e.g., in France, Belgium or Germany for the most part). Current values make it a comparative bargain, plenty of them available in Europe. Very rust-prone though.
The alloys are so called “Dunlop” wheels, named after the manufacturer. They were are a factory option and you see them frequently on 504′s.
Peter
http://www.504cc.de
http://www.altefranzosen.de/garage.html