The Peugeot 203 is a small family car which was produced by the French car manufacturer Peugeot between 1948 and 1960.
The car was exhibited at the Paris Motor Show in 1947, but by then had already been under development for more than five years. Volume manufacturing was initially hampered by strikes and shortages of materials, on the front ends of the front doors and an enlarged rear window on the saloon versions.
A military variant was developed and presented to the military who showed little interest. The prototype was converted into a factory fire engine for the Peugeot plant.
Engine and running gear
thumb|203 Familiale (family estate with 3 rows of seats)
thumb|Peugeot 203 Cabriolet
The 1290 cc four-cylinder TM engine was unusual in its 'oversquare' cylinder dimensions, and was noted for the hemispherical form Peugeot advertising pointed out that the increase in power came without any penalty in terms of fuel economy or car tax (which was a function of the unchanged cylinder capacity). Reference was made to a change in cylinder design but there was no change in the compression ratio, which remained at 6.8:1. Advertised top speed increased accordingly, from : the longer estate versions were significantly slower. 0- time was 20 seconds, and fuel consumption was .
The column-mounted gear change controlled a four-speed manual gear box: power was delivered to the rear wheels using a propeller shaft driving through a worm-and-wheel gearset at the differential. Possibly the most significant upgrade occurred in March 1954 with a new four speed gear box featuring synchromesh on all forward speeds. and that year the 203 achieved 34,012 domestic sales, commanding 19.5% of the French auto-market, where it was second only to the (far smaller and cheaper) Renault 4CV in terms of unit sales. Home market success was followed by the export of 203s, notably to West Germany.
Six years into its production run a growing body of data on second-hand sales became available. In early 1954 it was noted that in France the 203 lost value more slowly than any other French car generally available, thanks to a combination of virtues including a reliable, economical engine, well judged equipment levels including the sun roof, good manoeuvrability helped by an unusually tight turning circle (possible because of its "old-fashioned" rear-wheel drive lay-out), and not withstanding a rather unfriendly gear box which during the summer of 1954 would be replaced by Peugeot's new all-synchromesh "C2" transmission.
thumb|1950 Peugeot 203 interior
The strongest domestic manufacturers in the 1950s were Citroën and Renault who in the ten years after 1945 concentrated on different areas of the market from Peugeot. The success of the 203 was therefore a tribute both to the excellence of the product and to the absence from its sector, in its early years, of mainstream competitors. A powerful mainstream competitor appeared in 1951 with the launch of the Simca Aronde, but with the post-war economy finally beginning to experience useful growth there seems to have been ample capacity in the market for both cars. By 1955 when Panhard gained access to the Citroën dealership network, the 203 was well established in the market place and Peugeot themselves had moved beyond their one model policy. The 203 nevertheless continued to sell well till the end of the decade.
The end
The final Peugeot 203 rolled off the production line at the Peugeot Sochaux plant on Thursday, 25 February 1960. Three months later, at the end of May, the model disappeared from the price lists. The 203 was also assembled in Australia, beginning in 1953, and thus becoming the first Peugeot model to enter production in that country.
Cape Town-Paris
This was the route taken by Andre Mercier and Charles de Cortanze in 1953, it was and they performed it in a record time of 17 days. The event also sparked interest in the incredible fuel economy of the vehicle – a single tank lasted , even with the tough terrain.
In 2003 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the heroic journey, Didier Pijolet and Leigh Wootton both completed the feat in under a month. They were armed with their own 203s, one co-driver respectively and a film crew.
2006 Ampol Rerun
On April 23, 2006 in Sydney, about a dozen Peugeot 203 vehicles (together with other Peugeot models - 204, 403, 404) set off in the "Peugeot 2006 Round Australia Rerun". An event organised by Graham Wallis from the Peugeot Car Club of Victoria to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Ampol Round Australia Trial which was won by Wilf Murrell and Allan Taylor in a Peugeot 403 sedan after covering of rugged Australian roads and tracks.
In 2003, Graham Wallis organised a 50th Anniversary Rerun of the 1953 Redex Round Australia Trial in which eleven Peugeot 203s started and ten finished. The 203 win in the original Redex Trial significantly raised the profile of Peugeot in post WW2 Australia.