The Peugeot 201 is a car that Peugeot

Peugeot

Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...

 produced between 1929 and 1937.

The car was built at the company's Sochaux

Sochaux

Sochaux is a commune in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France.-Population:Inhabitants are known as Sochaliens.-Economy:...

 plant near the Swiss frontier

Canton of Jura

The Republic and Canton of the Jura , also known as the Canton of Jura or Canton Jura, is one of the cantons of Switzerland. It is the newest of the 26 Swiss cantons, located in the northwestern part of Switzerland. The capital is Delémont...

, and is today celebrated in the adjacent Peugeot museum. Although Peugeot had participated in the auto

Automobile

An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

 business since the early 1890s, it is reasonable to see the 201 as the company's first volume model.

History

The 201 was presented at the 1929 Paris Motor Show as the Wall Street Crash burst upon the world. Many European manufacturers would not survive the shock waves emanating from New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, but the compact no-nonsense 201 would match the mood of the moment, enabling Peugeot to survive the economic crisis with its finances intact and its status as a major league auto producer established.

Models

During the 1930s Peugeot offered several variants of the 201, and the engine capacity grew.

Initially, it was powered by a 1122 cc engine developing 23 hp at 3500 rpm (top speed: 80 km/h / 50 mph). There followed an engine of 1307 cc, and finally a 1465 cc unit of 35 hp.

The 201C launched in 1931 is claimed as the first volume produced car equipped with independent front suspension

Independent suspension

Independent suspension is a broad term for any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically independently of each other. This is contrasted with a beam axle, live axle or deDion axle system in which the wheels are linked – movement on one side affects...

, a concept rapidly adopted by the competition. The simpler beam front axle version continued available, but the independent system reportedly improved road holding and reduced steering column vibration.

The name game

The 201 was the first Peugeot to carry a name comprising three numerals with a central zero. Peugeot took effective steps to protect all such automobile names, to the discomfiture of Porsche in the 1960s as they prepared to launch their iconic new 901 model. Curiously, having a Ferrari 308

Ferrari 308

The name, Ferrari 308, refers to a 3 liter 8-cylinder Ferrari sports car. There were two different Ferrari 308 models:* Ferrari GT4, a Bertone-styled 2+2 V8 successor to the Dino* Ferrari 308 GTB/GTS, a Pininfarina-styled 2-seat version of the GT4...

was not a problem.

Sources

• Auto passion, nbr 37, juillet 1990
• Rétro hebdo, nbr 28, septembre 1997
• Rétroviseur ISBN 0992-5007, nbr 58