Description
The Peugeot 203 is one of the rarest and most elegant variants of the lion brand’s celebrated post-war model. While the saloon sold in the hundreds of thousands, the Coupé enjoyed a very short career, produced in just 953 examples between the end of 1952 and the start of 1954.
Today, it’s a proper collector’s icon—extremely hard to track down.
What made it special
After the Second World War, Peugeot put all its hopes for a comeback into a single model: the 203. To add a touch of prestige and glamour to the range, the manufacturer first offered the car as a cabriolet, then very quickly in this Coupé form with a fixed hardtop.
• The Styling: Drawn under the direction of Henri Thomas, the Coupé openly takes inspiration from the aerodynamic “fastback” lines of late-1940s American cars. With its two doors, raked rear window and compact stance, it offered a far more exclusive, purposeful look than the family saloon.
• The Mechanicals: It used the saloon’s modern engine—a 1, 290cc (1. 3L) four-cylinder unit with an alpax cylinder head (an aluminium alloy) and hemispherical combustion chambers. With 45 bhp on tap, it was renowned for its legendary toughness.
• The Transmission: Power was sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual gearbox with a steering-column lever, with an overdrive top gear to save fuel on long, straight stretches.
