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Peugeot 201
Peugeot 201C
Overview
Manufacturer	Peugeot SA
Production	1929–1937 142,309 units
Assembly	Sochaux, France
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door saloon other bodies available
Layout	FR layout
Powertrain
Engine	1085 cc - 1465cc I4
Dimensions
Wheelbase	247 cm (97.2 in)
Length	3,800 mm (149.6 in)
Width	1,350 mm (53.1 in)
Curb weight	890 kg (1,962 lb)
Chronology
Predecessor	Peugeot Type 190
Successor	Peugeot 202

The Peugeot 201 is a car produced by Peugeot between 1929 and 1937.

The car was manufactured at the company's Sochaux plant near the Swiss frontier, and is today celebrated in the adjacent Peugeot museum. Although Peugeot had produced a petrol/gasoline-powered motor vehicle as early as 1886, the Peugeot 201 may reasonably be seen as the company's first mass-produced model.

History

The Peugeot 201 was presented at the 1929 Paris Motor Show with the backdrop of the Wall Street Crash. While many European manufacturers did not survive the ensuing depression, the 201's image as an inexpensive car helped Peugeot to survive the economic crisis with its finances intact and its status as a major auto producer confirmed.

Models

During the 1930s Peugeot offered several variants of the 201, mostly with increasing engine capacity. The exception is the 1085 cc engine in the competition-oriented 201 S and CS. Presented in March 1932, 403 examples were built until July of the same year. The engine's stroke was shortened from 90 to 87 mm (3.54 to 3.43 in), with the 63 mm (2.48 in) bore remaining unchanged; power increased to 30 hp (22 kW).

Initially, the 201 range was powered by a 1122 cc engine developing 23 hp (17 kW) at 3500 rpm (top speed: 80 km/h / 50 mph). This was followed by a 28 hp (21 kW) engine of 1307 cc in September 1934, when the revised 201 D (and the longe wheelbase DL light truck derivative) were introduced. The D models also benefitted from a fully synchronized transmission. The final development was when the 201 M was presented in August 1936. This model was not a 201 per se, it was a decontented version of the recently discontinued 301. At the same time, that model was replaced by the new 302. The 201 M kept the 301's 1465 cc unit of 35 hp (26 kW) and could reach a claimed top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph).

The Peugeot 201 C, launched in 1931, is claimed to be the first mass-produced car equipped with independent front suspension, a concept rapidly adopted by the competition. The simpler beam front axle version remained available, but the optional independent suspension system reportedly improved road holding and reduced steering column vibration.

• The 201 was typical of many western European family saloons in that during the 1930s the standard body was redesigned to incorporate new ideas about streamlining.
• Interior

Naming

In the early twentieth century, car manufacturers paid little attention to the naming of their vehicles. The 201's predecessor, the Type 190, is so named because it was the 190th distinct design developed by Peugeot. However, at the time few customers would have been aware of the name "Type 190". Even in the company's own brochures, the car now known as the Type 190 was simply called "La 5CV Peugeot" (The Peugeot 5 hp).

For Peugeot, a new naming scheme was introduced when the Type 190 was replaced by Peugeot 201. The 201 was the first Peugeot to carry a name comprising three numerals with a central zero, a naming scheme continued with the 301 and 401. Peugeot took effective steps to protect all such automobile names, to the discomfiture of Porsche in the 1960s as they prepared to launch their new 901 model. Curiously, the name of the Ferrari 308 was not a problem.

Light commercials

Between 1931 and 1933 the company produced 1,676 commercial versions of the 201, aimed at small shopkeepers and other businessmen. A wide range of body types was produced including a flatbed truck, a "bakers' van" and light vans with and without side windows behind the B-pillar.

• During the early 1930s, panel van and light truck versions were also produced.

Sources

1. "1929 : 201". peugeot.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-06. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
2. "Automobilia". Toutes les Voitures Françaises 1932 (salon 1931): Comme tous constructeurs français, Peugeot souffre de la dépression économique mondiale et ses cadences de production s'effondrent. Malgré ce ralentissement sensible de son activité en 1932, Peugeot traverse la crise sans trop de dommages grâce à la 201 dont le caractère économique devient un argument déterminant dans cette période difficile. Vol. 80s. Paris: Histoire & collections. 2006. p. 74.
3. "Le Restauration Peugeot 201 BR3". Voitures Anciennes Photos et Fiches Techniques (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-02-25.
4. Musée de l'Aventure Peugeot. The exhibit label (2012) states: « Jusqu'à présente le modèles Peugeot se suivaient dans une numérotation plus ou moins logique qui d'ailleurs n'était que peu utilise par la publicité. Par exemple le 190 S était présenté dans les brochures sous le nom « Le 5 CV Peugeot ». Avec la 201 une ère novelle commence.»

• Auto passion, nbr 37, juillet 1990
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• Rétroviseur ISSN 0992-5007, nbr 58

• Cars introduced in 1929
• Peugeot vehicles
• 1930s cars