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Peugeot 504 GL Saloon

Peugeot 504 GL Saloon

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Peugeot 504 GL SaloonPeugeot 504 GL SaloonPeugeot 504 GL SaloonPeugeot 504 GL SaloonPeugeot 504 GL Saloon
Peugeot 504 GL SaloonPeugeot 504 GL SaloonPeugeot 504 GL SaloonPeugeot 504 GL SaloonPeugeot 504 GL Saloon
Peugeot 504 GL SaloonPeugeot 504 GL SaloonPeugeot 504 GL SaloonPeugeot 504 GL SaloonPeugeot 504 GL Saloon
Peugeot 504 GL SaloonPeugeot 504 GL Saloon
Lot number 73
Hammer value £4,800
Description Peugeot 504 GL Saloon
Registration TBA
Year 1981
Colour Beige
Engine size 2,000 cc
Chassis No. 504A113357062
Engine No. H56856XT
Documents NOVA import docs; copies of Australian registration

Peugeot launched its conservative but well-engineered flagship 504 Saloon at the 1968 Paris Salon.

Widely praised for its modern styling, solid build quality, chassis strength, smooth ride, good all-round visibility, strong engines and refinement, it went on to win the European Car of the Year award, narrowly beating the Jaguar XJ6 – very high praise indeed!

The roomy four-door was initially equipped with a 1.8 four-cylinder engine with pushrod valves and an alloy head producing 97bhp at 5,200rpm. It had all independent suspension - McPherson struts at the front, with semi-trailing arms and coil springs at the rear and was equipped with disc brakes all round.

After testing the new car in its native France in December 1968, Autocar magazine said: “We place it among Europe’s finest touring cars.” The engine was enlarged to 2-litres in 1970, and a voluminous estate was introduced to the range. By 1972, its column shift had been substituted for an easier to negotiate floor-mounted unit and a second series was introduced in 1976 - easily identified by flush door handles. In 1983, after more than three million had been built, European production of the 504 series ended, though it would carry on in production as late as 2001 in some markets.

Its rugged charms and soft ride were well appreciated where road conditions were poor, and Peugeot were well aware that Australia was a good potential market. Heavy import taxes designed to protect Oz-built Ford and Holden models meant that local assembly was their only option, so they forged an unlikely alliance with Renault, Peugeot supplying CKD kits to its competitor to assemble at their plant in Victoria, this example being dispatched from there to its new owner in 1981.

Things remained quite sedate for this car until it fell into the hands of the vendor who used it for some local club rallying, registering it under a Victoria Club permit and using it on club events until he decided that he should perhaps expand the scope of his ambitions.

Plans slowly came together and the car was carefully prepared for a round-the-world road trip, an adventure which kicked off in March of this year. The 3,500kms from Melbourne to Perth would be enough adventure for most, but the car barely noticed this part of the journey, dismissing the vast Nullarbor Plain with ease before being shipped to Malaysia to continue the journey overland to Paris.

In all, some 29,500 kms were travelled across 22 countries (18,500 miles), a detailed account of which can be seen on the fascinating blog www.overlandtoparis.com. The highest point reached on the journey was 4,700 metres, the car performing faultlessly along the way with barely a squeak or a rattle, the only two problems being a loose shock absorber bolt (tightened by the roadside) and a failed clutch release bearing in Kazakhstan (a result of a deep river crossing that let water into the bell housing). Fortunately the crew managed to locate a Peugeot dealer in Almaty, who replaced it with a new one and all was well. If you are looking for a car in which to cross the globe, a 504 should clearly be on your list!

The team met many friendly and hospitable people along the way. Over 165 messages of goodwill were written on the bodywork to wish the crew bon voyage (those in Chinese being translated on the blogsite) although these could easily be removed by the new owner if desired (provided they aren't the superstitious kind!). The messages clearly worked and car and occupants arrived safely at their destination five months after they set off, the plan all along being to dispose of the car in England (well it is RHD after all) and fly home to the land of plenty.

The vendor confirms that the body remains in superb condition, as one would expect of a car having lived in the Australian climate, although he advises that it started to exhibit some surface rust on the boot lid as the journey progressed through the tropics. It also picked up a nail in the front offside tyre in a builder’s yard in Tibet which is still there but has never been an issue.

This matching numbers car comes with the correct NOVA import number which should allow straightforward registration in the UK. The file also includes the original manual, Victoria Club ‘rego’, invoices for preparation and the Chinese number plate needed for its transit through that part of Asia.

A quietly interesting car for the individual, this 504 has more stories to tell than most, its rust free condition making it a very rare survivor on the roads of Britain. There is no doubt that it is still up to the return journey, the only question being - are you?

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