PEUGEOT 302 – year 1938
Manufacturer: Peugeot Automobile Company, Sochaux-Montbeliard, France.
One of the last family businesses in the automotive world, Peugeot owes its admirable longevity to a number of factors. These are specific traditions, careful design conservatism, combined with a feeling for the introduction of innovative solutions and the proverbial utility values and reliability of the produced cars. The good quality of Peugeot models was guaranteed by the very location of the plant in Sochaux, in the department of Montbeliard, known for a long time from its watch industry. The loyalty of the company among the crew was enormous. Sometimes three generations of one family worked side by side in the plant. The brand was often accused of being conservative, but a more detailed analysis of the plant's prosperity showed, that the company always introduced something new on time, i.e. then, when the greatest demand was expected.
This was also the case in the late 1930s, when Peugeot introduced new models with aerodynamic lines. Headlights recessed under the radiator hood, covered rear wheels and a streamlined rear of the car were elements reducing air resistance, therefore fuel consumption was lower, and the speed increased.
Manufacturer: Peugeot Automobile Company, Sochaux-Montbeliard, France.
The model shown in the picture was obtained at the Paris Motor Show in 1938 r. the adjective "the most beautiful car of the showroom”. This elegant 4-door limousine was equipped with a 4-cylinder engine, water cooled, which with the diameter of the cylinders 83 mm and piston stroke 99 mm had a capacity 2142 cm3. The car could be purchased with a mechanical 3-speed gearbox or with an automatic 4-speed Cotal gearbox. In the Sedan variant, the car had a curb weight 1186 kg.
There were no models in the history of the company, which it would have to withdraw from production after just a few years. It could have happened not only because of the solid workmanship, but also thanks to the car body lines, always moderated. This is also demonstrated by the Peugeot model 302, which was produced unchanged to 1949 r.