PEUGEOT 203 CABRIO - IG-18-67

The Peugeot 203, dated 1952, registration number IG-18-67, belongs to Ferdinando Andrade. 

It is the only convertible one in Madeira. In the country, there will be two or three more like it.

The car came to Madeira for Mr. Pires, who worked for Peugeot. After passing through a few more owners, it was acquired by the current one, from the Cardoso family, more than 30 years ago.

Already in his possession, he had to restore the vehicle in a time-consuming and careful process. That is why it presents itself as new in the many times Ferdinando Andrade uses the Peugeot.

The Peugeot 203 is a small family car produced by the French factory Peugeot between 1948 and 1960. It was first shown at the Paris Motor Show in 1947, but by then it had been in development for over five years. Production began in late 1948, with buyers receiving the 203s from early 1949 onwards.

The 203 was the first new Peugeot model launched after World War II.
During its 12 years of production, around 700,000 203s were assembled at the Sochaux plant.

Between the end of the 202, in 1949, and the launch of the 403 in 1955, the 203 was the only model produced by Peugeot.

This model was the first production Peugeot with a monocoque body. The car was attractive, modern and bore a striking resemblance to the American Chevrolet Fleetline fastback, although its profile also reflected the streamlining trend apparent in some of Europe's more modern designs, including some of Peugeot's own 1930 Model 402.

The 4-door saloon car was the best seller, but from 1950, a comfortable 4-door (Commerciale) and a 6-seater (Familiale) version, with three rows of seats, were also offered on a wheelbase lengthened by 20 cm to 278 cm.

With the option of extending the wheelbase for the estate and family van versions, the company set a pattern which would continue through several successive generations of Peugeot's large family vans, such as the 404 and 504.

In October 1952, the Paris Motor Show welcomed a modified 203, which featured semi-clear hinged windows on the front ends of the front doors and an enlarged rear window on saloon versions. This update also saw the removal of the speedometer from the centre of the dashboard to a position directly in front of the driver.

Advertising photos from the early 1950s tend to avoid showing the rear of the car from the right side. That changes with the 203s exhibited at the 1953 Motor Show, after which the hitherto protruding fuel filler cap was sunk a few inches in the rear wing, thus gaining a protective opening flap aligned with the bodywork.

Along with the improvements to existing cars, Peugeot introduced a 2-door 203 coupé at the end of 1952, albeit without the expected success, it quietly disappeared from brochures a year later. There were several low-volume cabriolet and coupé conversions produced by external specialists, in collaboration with Peugeot, available during production of the 203, although the removal of the roof from an early monocoque design required extensive reinforcement of the bodywork, which added to the car's weight and reduced performance.

For several years, the tip of the car's nose featured an angular forward-tilted chrome lion hood ornament - the lion being Peugeot's trademark. This was removed in 1959, due to safety concerns, and the logo was incorporated into a flatter baguette-shaped badge on the nose of the car.

A military variant was developed and presented to military personnel who showed little interest. The prototype was converted into a fire engine for the Peugeot factory.

Datasheet
Year: 1952
Brand: Peugeot
Model: 203
Country: France
License plate: IG-18-67
Engine: 1.300 cc 
Gearbox:4 (one non-synchronised reverse)