I’m back from my rather busy holidays, re-settling into my temporary digs in Japan after two months in Europe. Pickings were quite rich in terms of Curbside Classics, so I have to sort out a bit of the material I took on the road. Let’s kick off by following from where I left off, with a Peugeot. But not any old Peugeot, the Ur-Peugeot: a 201, the first one I’ve ever seen in the wild, captured on the outskirts of the Mont Saint-Michel, in Normandy.
Before the 201, there were a lot of Peugeots. About 200 models, in fact. But who remembers the Type 182 or the Type 45? Take the car above, for instance. It’s a Type 174 (a.k.a 18HP) from the mid-‘20s – a powerful luxury car with a 3.8 litre sleeveless 4-cyl. engine. But with such an anonymous moniker, who could identify one? Or make sense of the fact that the contemporary Type 176, despite bearing a higher number, was actually a smaller car? Peugeot had started selling cars in 1891 (the Type 2) and when the Type 201 came along in 1929, they had a huge back catalogue of models few could relate to. A specialist manufacturer such as Bugatti could get away with that, but Peugeot were trying to sell a range of models, not a few supercars for the nouveaux-riches.
The marketing department had a brainwave: why not reshuffle the brand’s models around a three-digit number with a zero in the middle? The hundreds digit would signify the model’s size (e.g. 20x for small cars, 40x for larger ones, 60x for big 6-cyl. efforts) and the units would work as generations (e.g. the -02 for ‘30s streamliners, the -04s for the ‘60s-‘70s, etc.) Marketing is often derided for its excesses (and for good reason), but in this case, it was a masterful stroke of genius. So masterful that Peugeot patented it and have kept the system going up to the present day.
So what about this 201 then? With its conservative looks, 30 HP engine, 3-speed gearbox, rigid axles, cable brakes and wood-framed body, it was not exactly a landmark of automotive design. Nothing really distinguished it from other small 1-litre European cars of the age, apart from the quality of its build and its relatively low price. And for some reason, that’s all that was needed to make it a rousing success, soon gaining a drop-top and a long-wheelbase “T” version for folks in need of a cheap van.
The 201 arrived just as the economy was ready to tank due to the after-effects of the Wall Street Crash — indeed, it was launched on 24 October 1929, also known as Black Thursday. But Peugeot had prepared their car well, with over 40 prototypes tested thoroughly for two years. The 201 was pretty much flawless and people flocked to Peugeot dealerships to get one. By 1932, the 201 saloon, coupé and roadster were given independent front suspension, but base versions and commercial cars such as our CC kept the old beam axle.
A few 201s: 1930 saloon and pick-up (above); 1932 201B roadster and 1936 two-door 201M (below).
Peugeot were on to a winning formula, and quickly produced a larger 301, a family-sized 401 and a luxury 601. By this time (1934), cars were getting more streamlined, so Peugeot followed suit and gave the 201 a makeover by essentially de-contenting the 301. This final iteration lasted until 1937, when Peugeot were getting ready to introduce the 202. Over 140,000 Peugeot 201s were made in seven years — then Peugeot’s absolute record.
Our CC must have had a busy life as a delivery van up to the ‘50s. After that decade, Peugeots from the -01 series became a rare sight on French roads. It’s anyone’s guess how this one miraculously survived another 60-plus years, though it’s definitely not roadworthy any longer. At least it’s still there to be seen, a fine if unremarkable car that helped re-fashion Peugeot’s nomenclature for generations.
Dear Sir, Thank you for your history of some o Peugeot models, specifically the 201 and its affect on the marque. As I have mentioned before, many European vehicles were never brought here. Was the 201 in America? I do not know. I ave never seen one here and it is before my time. The last Peugeot automobiles imported to The U.S. were in 1992.
I doubt these were imported in the U.S – too small for American tastes. Perhaps some 401s or 601s made it over, but I have no idea, really. Some of the later -02 models (the ones that look like mini Airflows) may have been imported – at least, I recall seeing some period pics of one against the NY skyline…
Sweet little Pug. Thanks for this look at the earlier years of the marque. Most car manufacturers have a personality, and Peugeot’s was very clearly defined. Solid, reliable, and built to last. What you see is what you get.
Lovely truck .
Agreed, having owned, driven and worked on Pugs they’re remarkably good .
-Nate
It’s great to read another one of your articles. I remember reading that Peugeot had copyrighted all three-digit numbers with a “0” in the middle. But oddly, I never thought much about where the numbering had begun. I’ve never heard of the 201 before, so this was quite an interesting piece. Thanks.
Someone else tried the middle ‘0’ for a while…..
Yeah but it didnt catch on and they reskinned it as the 323, good little cars those Mazda not up to Peugeot standards but good all the same.
I’m not certain about this, but I believe that Peugeot did not copyright these numbers in Australia or Asia initially. As a result, the Mazda 808 was, I believe, sold as the 818 in Europe so it would not run afoul of Peugeot.
I think that Porsche intended to call the 911 the 901, but had to switch its number for the same reason.
True. Although there were a few exceptions. Bristol went through all digits from 400-412 (and later skipped to 603, IIRC); there was also a Tatra 603 and let’s not forget the Ferrari 308. So it looks like Peugeot figured that models that it wasn’t worth their while enforcing their 3-digit rule on models that sold fewer than four digits per year…
Yep, I think sometimes this sort of stuff happened just on assumptions. The reason the Fiat V8 was called the 8V (Otto Vu) was because they thought Ford had protection over the ‘V8’ designation.
This old 201 delivery van is a great find. Looks like it could be put back in operation fairly easily.
It is interesting to see how that model number system got started. It is a rarity that they have stuck to it so long.
Sadly Peugeot model names don’t exactly mean the same anymore. First, there was the problem that they slapped the 309 name at the last moment to a car originally intended to be a Talbot. This when they were still on the X05 names. And then, they were running out of numbers when reaching X08. Finally, Peugeot decided not getting into the X09 generation and just update the cars keeping them forever X08. Sad, but I don’t know if there was an alternative.
And also, 301 is now used for a sedan for the developing world. In theory, other brand new X01 models can exist for those markets.
Nice truck. Great piece, didn’t know the story of O.
The coupe on the ’01 ad is absolutely stunning, like the World’s Fair Cadillac aerodynamic coupe but sweeter.
Agreed, but I think there is a fair bit of artistic license in the drawing!
Thanks as always for a great article!