1953 PEUGEOT 203 COUPE

Lot n° 91

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Estimation :

10000 - 15000 EUR

Result with fees

Result : 69 600EUR

1953 PEUGEOT 203 COUPE

French title 17 000 km on the odometer Genuine garage release Extremely rare model Original interior Serial number 1 322 923 P3V bodywork number 639 It is after the Second World War that Peugeot becomes a real car manufacturer. Indeed, after this tragic period of history, Peugeot quickly relaunched its work tool and accelerated the pace of car assembly. It was essential to make people forget the dark period that had just passed and to give them confidence in the French. The Peugeot 203 is an entirely new car. Its Americanized lines and modern design made it an immediate success. Economical, durable and equipped with a puncture-proof engine, the car immediately acquired an excellent reputation. From a technical point of view, the 203 was the first Peugeot with a self-supporting body. As for its ultra-modern engine design, it uses state-of-the-art technology for a mass-market car of the time. Super-square, this 4-cylinder in-line engine is topped by a hemispherical Alpax cylinder head with V-shaped overhead valves. With 42 hp for 1290 cm3, the potential of this engine is far from being exploited, the manufacturer having limited the compression ratio for the sake of reliability. This engine gives the car a respectable top speed of 115 km/h. At the 1952 Motor Show, the power was increased to 45 hp thanks to work on the distribution. Very reasonable in consumption, the engine of the 203 will especially show a robustness praised by all. One year after the appearance of the cabriolet, at the 1952 Paris Motor Show, the coupé is launched, which completes the 203 range and will attract the attention of the curious for its rather original aesthetics. It leaves no one indifferent! The coupé is structurally derived from the cabriolet. Its originality comes from its shortened roof in sheet metal, welded on the bodywork, compared to the one of the sedans. All the strangeness of the coupe comes from the baroque design of the rear side window. The aesthetics of the coupe is not convincing, which precipitates its withdrawal from the catalog in April 1954 after a production of 955 copies ... according to some collectors there would be only one hundred in circulation. It should be noted that the coupe is now more sought after than the cabriolet, indeed the cabriolet was produced at 2567 copies, the coupe is thus much rarer. The history of the coupe that we present to you is quite succulent. In the 1970's, Mr G was a well-known garage owner in the Paris area who used to go to Brittany for vacations. Indeed, his garage located in Ernée on the national road was a stopover sometimes necessary to supply both the men, but also their mounts on the road to Saint Malo. The garage of Mr. G is an institution in Ernée, since it is in activity since the beginning of the 20th century. But let's go back to the story of our 203. Summer 1970, a young couple takes the road to spend the summer in Saint Malo. They were driving quietly towards Saint Malo when suddenly the 203 was acting up. Stopped on the side of the road, the local garage is contacted. Mr. G arrives with his tow truck and places the 203 coupe in his garage. Our young couple goes back to Paris by Taxi, waiting for Mr. G's estimate to repair the 203. A few weeks pass and Mr. G sends his estimate... The late answer of the young couple is without appeal. They have already bought a new car and leave the 203 coupe to Mr. G! A Peugeot enthusiast, he will store it for more than 52 years, before it finds the light of day a few weeks ago. The car is in a moving condition, that any collector will appreciate. It shows some minor corrosion and has remained intact for decades. The wheels are not blocked, and the car is complete. This is an opportunity to acquire both an extremely rare car, but also an exceptional story.

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1953 PEUGEOT 203 COUPE

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