Since their origination in France in 1889 , Peugeot automobiles – like this 1957 Peugeot 203C four - door sedan – have fan out around the Earth . For a time , one of the places they could be establish was the United States , where a Peugeot even became a part of pop culture . On the video seriesColumbo , the tousled police investigator title lineament drive a tatty 403 convertible .
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If the 1957 Peugeot 203C sedan featured here draw and quarter a dummy with Americans , even those conversant with European cable car , that ’s understandable . It dates from the year before Peugeots were first officially imported to the United States ( though small numeral of them had trickled in prior to 1958 ) .
The 203 was Peugeot ’s first Modern aim after World War II . First shown in 1948 , it became Peugeot ’s sole good example in 1949 after the prewar - mode 202 was discontinued . In April 1955 , it was joined by the more New 403 series , but 203 production remain until early 1960 . By that clock time , nearly 700,000 had been construct .
The unit - bodied 203 saw few changes to its basic design . Styling had something of a forties Chrysler expression to it . Chrome bumpers were bestow in 1952 . In 1954 , the rearward window was elaborate and the fuel makeweight was hidden in the right rearward buffer .
Power hail from a 1.3 - litre ohv four with hemispherical combustion chambers that was good for about 42 horsepower . The engine was addict to a four - f number manual transmittance with an overdrive top gear .
This 203C was reconstruct between 1985 and 1987 , and has now covered more than 90,000 nautical mile .
