1969-1983 Peugeot 504 Coupe: The Classic Bridge to Modernism
The news that Peugeot will return to the American market is exciting, especially for those who fondly remember its popular 504 Berline (sedan) from the late ‘70s to mid ‘80s. When introduced in 1968, the 504 sedan was at the cutting edge of automotive technology with fuel injection and a sophisticated suspension. While Peugeot built an early reputation for solid dependable cars, they were never really known in America for their design elegance. The small Peugeot line of American offerings were often limited to sedans and wagons, the kind of cars that fit its utilitarian image in The States.
While diesel powered 504s were becoming attractive alternatives to oil burning Mercedes sedans and estate cars in America, the French and European markets enjoyed the sporty side of Peugeot’s line up with elegant coupe and convertibles based on the 504 chassis. These cars were the first collaborations between Peugeot and the famed Italian design house Pininfarina. The convertible was a in-house Peugeot design that when viewed from the side look a lot like Fiat’s 124 Spyder. Had the 504 coupe and cabriolet been offered in America, perceptions about Peugeot, the largest French automaker in America at one point, might have been changed forever. Peugeot of course offered sporty cars late in it’s original tour of America with the 405 Mi16 sports sedan. That car lacked the elegance of Peugeot’s graceful 504 coupe and convertible.
In 1969 the Peugeot 504 sedan was voted European Car of the Year, the same year the coupe appeared. The coupe (and later convertible) were never officially imported to America, but it’s likely that the larger East coast Peugeot dealers might have had one to sell to well-heeled and loyal customers. Of course now, these cars are well past the 20 year window that allows formally European only cars to be imported to the States.
The 504 coupe and cabriolet were only vaguely related to the sedan visually. The softer lines and slender roof pillars framed a large glassy greenhouse – giving the coupe the appearance of lighter weight (if not a bit of fragile elegance). The headlights were a distinctive quad array made up of semi-circle lenses. Later cars would get a more modern quad setup encased in a single lens.
One of the more endearing features of the 504 was it luxurious interior (by the standards of the day). Occupants were treated by a mix of leather, wood and plastic with typical European design efficiency As a GT car the 504 was intended to be comfortable with items like air conditioning and automatic transmissions – all options of course. For the enthusiast, the there was a full gauges cluster the V6 models framed by a wooden panel. Steering wheels were an unusual 2 spoke design that ranged from sporty black with large holes to a combination of sport and luxury with leather padding. Like many European designed dashboards, the 504 was modern and ergonomic with the occasional touch of wood.
The two doors body lines were not unlike Fiat’s 124 coupe, another Pininfarina design. Their monocoque bodies were assembled along with the Alfa Romeo Spider by Pininfarina and shipped to Peugeot’s factory. There the driveline and final assembly would take place. The 100.4-inch wheelbase, although shorter than the sedan by 8 inches, provided a comfortable and stable ride. For the time, the 504 sported an advance suspension with MacPherson struts/coil springs up front and semi-trailing arms, coil springs and an anti-roll bar in the rear. Initially 504 came with a four-speed manual transmission (later a 5-speed) and a ZF three-speed automatic.
Like the sedan, the coupes used a 97 hp 1.8 liter four-cylinder. This was a popular engine as Peugeot learned in 1975 when it tried replacing it with a V6 sourced from its Renault-Volvo alliance. That engine made an impressive 136hp, but proved unpopular forcing Peugeot to brig back the four-liter. This time as a 2.0 with mechanical fuel injection for 1978 as the base engine. Both the four cylinder and V6 would gain steady power increases with Bosh K-Jetronic fuel injection boosting the V6 to 144 hp. With that engine the V6 grand tourer could reach a top speed of 117 mph. Despite the performance increases of the V6, the four-cylinder car remained the most popular due to its fuel efficiency and slightly better handling due to lighter weight.
By 1981, the 504 coupes had lower profile Michelin TRX radials on 15 alloy wheels. The bumpers were modernized going from chrome or black to body colored. By the end of its development cycle, the 504 coupes looked like a hybrid of classic ‘70s and emerging aerodynamic design with more flush bumpers and windows. Blackout trim and revised taillights completed the modern appearance, but the 504 had been outclassed my more modern platforms from Alfa Romeo and Volkswagen. While there was no direct replacement of the 504 coupe and convertible, Peugeot hinted around with various concepts until the mid-90s with the striking 406 coupe.
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