From the 301 to the 309 via the 308, we take a look back at Peugeot’s core range. To start this saga, let’s take a look at the first generations: 301, 302 and 303. Yes, you read that right, 303. They are detailed in video by the curator of the brand’s museum in Sochaux.
The third generation Peugeot 308 compact sedan has just arrived in dealerships. It will be joined in the first quarter of 2022 by the Peugeot 308 SW station wagon body. It is the time to retrace the saga of the 300 Series, the heart of the lion manufacturer’s range, which began in 1932 with the 301. Therefore, the drafting of Argus went to Sochaux, to the Peugeot Adventure museum. Back to basics through a series of four episodes, of which here is the first.
Peugeot 301, a square body that holds up!
Classic as you wish, the Peugeot 301 from 1932 is characterized by its square body. It fully meets the aesthetic standards of the time. To promote its traditional sedan, Peugeot is already relying on competition with the 301 C Miramas, which set records on the eponymous circuit in the south of France. The technology is also enhanced with independent front wheels which considerably improve and secure the vehicle’s handling while suppressing vibrations in the steering wheel.
“The Peugeot 301 is clearly the brand’s response to the economic crisis of 1929.“
The 301 is a logically more statutory model than the 201. Its move upmarket aims to attract wealthy customers, who have not turned their backs on the automobile in these difficult times. On board, the presentation is to match with a very opulent upholstery and false woodwork; this woodgrain is in reality a painted decoration. Finally, a complete instrumentation is staged with refinement in an Art Deco spirit typical of the time. The designer Henri Thomas – at the origin of the Peugeot style office, which he directed until 1960 – sketched the beginnings of aerodynamics during the restyling of the 301. This trend will be magnified on the following generation.
- Peugeot 301: from 1932 to 1936
- Production: 543,892 units
A “new 301” in 2012
To be complete in this overview of the start of the 300 saga, note that in 2012, exactly eighty years after the first version, Peugeot uses the surname 301 to designate a compact sedan with a trunk. Derived from the 208, it is intended for emerging markets in Central and Eastern Europe, as evidenced by the 1 finalizing its surname. But it also made a career in Spain (a market fond of notchback silhouettes) where it is manufactured (in Vigo), as well as in the overseas departments. This vehicle is also assembled in China, at the Wuhan plant, to supply the local market. The Peugeot 301 is the technical twin of the Citroën C-Élysée. It was restyled in 2016.
TO READ. Restyling and modernization for the Peugeot 301
- Peugeot 301: since 2012
- Production: 511 176 units
Peugeot 302, the Sochaux time zone hides its headlights
The Peugeot 302 arrived in 1936 and brought with it a radical change of style. Make way for very aerodynamic lines in the American streamline movement. But Peugeot’s approach goes well beyond that initiated by the Chrysler Airflow. Because for the French, nothing protrudes from the body, not even the headlights, which are housed behind the grille. An establishment which earned it the nickname of the Sochaux spindle. This clever process is completely in line with the restyling of the previous generation models: 201, 301 and 401.
The latter then abandoned their steep and rectilinear grilles in favor of elegant curved and arched gates. This revolutionary style of generation 2 (202, 302 and 402) also marks Peugeot’s counterattack against the Citroën Traction avant which, since 1934, has been shaking up the automotive landscape. On the other hand, technically, the Peugeot 302 is not as innovative as its double chevron rival. It takes the base of the 402 while being shortened by 35 cm at the rear.
“It is only with the 302 that the hole in the crank is embellished by the central 0. Not before, contrary to popular belief.“
In detail, the grille logo goes down to the bottom of the latter, and it is at this precise moment that the central 0 dresses the hole allowing the introduction of the crank to start the mechanics. Note also that at the time patriotism was in vogue, which explains the tricolor 302 logo. The career of the model will be stopped dead by the war in 1939.
- Peugeot 302: from 1936 to 1938
- Production: 25,132 units
Peugeot 303: it was almost ready!
Let us also quote the Peugeot 303. The project is unknown, and for good reason: it never saw the light of day. The brand initially hoped to slip a compact sedan between the 203 and the 403, vsAs was the case with the 301 and 302, two vehicles that played a central role in the range. Three Peugeot 303 prototypes were built, including this wooden model recently restored by the Peugeot Style Center. Project 303 will change course during its development. Its very important technical evolution will ultimately lead to a generational leap. It will become the replacement for the 403, the Peugeot 404 launched in the 1960s. Nothing is lost at Peugeot, everything is transformed.
- 3 models produced
