by Jo Patterson
Few cars would become a legend in their own time as did the Peugeot 404, a legend born from rally success; the appreciation of the whole genre of motoring enthusiasts and the precision of French engineering to create a history equal to that of the Peugeot 404. Over the years the engineers continued to improve what many (quite rightly) thought to be perfection on wheels.
The 404 had few peers on the open road, not only did it have the effortless performance to silently eat up the miles in comfort, but also the capacity to swallow a vast amount of luggage. The spare wheel fitted ingeniously under the rear of the car to allow an uncluttered 17 cubic feet of luggage space, and when an even larger area was needed, the Peugeot 404 Station Wagon came to the party.
Outright winner of the East Africa Safari in 1966, 1967 and 1968, then notorious as being the toughest in the world, the 1968 event remains as a stand out for two reasons, the atrocious conditions under which the event was held, and the stellar performance of the Peugeot 404.
85 cars would be forced to withdraw from the 91 that left the starting grid, and there was to be only one winner. Never before in the history of rallying had there been a more exacting proving ground, and never did a car come through with such flying colours as the Peugeot 404.
With safety features becoming a strategic factor in vehicles during the late 1960's, Peugeot introduced many such features into the 404 during its life time. These included power assisted 12 3/4" diameter front discs, plus large 10" rear drums, complete with a load sensitive pressure
limiting valve.
So good was the system that a light 45 lbs pedal force was all that was required to stop the car from 50 mph in 96 feet (the equivalent Tapley meter efficiency reading being 87%).
Six more stops from the same speed in quick succession using a pedal force of 35 lbs not only showed the
brakes did not fade, but also proved that they in fact were just warming up to the task! With
brakes hot, one final stop from 70 mph was comfortably made in 186 feet, as the efficiency rose to 92%.
Passenger
safety was well catered for too, with burst-proof door locks, recessed interior handles and shoulder high padded strips on all four door pulls, and even a padded gear knob. Standard kit of course included lap/sash style seat belts.
Inset under a padded hood on the dashboard was the most pleasing easy to read set of dials and indicators incorporating an electric timepiece and such thoughtful features as the trip meter.
And of course comfort was never neglected, for that was one of the most enduring qualities of the Peugeot marque. There were well shaped seats, an effective heating and cooling system, along with high grade carpeting.
The 1618cc 4 cylinder engine drove through a 4 speed fully
synchromesh box to give a top speed of around 95 mph, and an average fuel consumption of 28 miles per gallon, which was pretty substantial for a car of the Peugeot 404's calibre.