The Peugeot 203 is a small family car produced by the French automaker from 1948 to 1960. The car was showcased at the 1947 Paris Motor Show, but it had been in development for over 5 years. Initial mass production was hindered by strikes and material shortages, but it started in late 1948, with customers receiving the 203s from early 1949.
The 203 was Peugeot’s first new model after WWII. Over the course of 12 years of production, nearly 700,000 203s were assembled at Sochaux, France. Between the demise of the 202 in 1949 and the launch of the 403 in 1955, the 203 was the only car produced by Peugeot.
Because of this, vintage car enthusiasts in Vietnam have a strong passion for and diligently search for the Peugeot 203. In 2019, a 60-year-old Peugeot 203 was sold for 500 million VND (approximately $21,700), and until now, a few cars are being advertised for nearly 1 billion VND.
Peugeot 203
The 203 is Peugeot’s first unitary-body model. The car is sleek and shares similarities with the American Chevrolet Fleetline fastback, although its streamlined design also reflects the clear simplification trend in some of Peugeot’s more modern European designs, including some 1930s Peugeot 402 models. The 4-door saloon sold the best, but starting from 1950, the more common 4-door versions (Commerciale) and 6-seater versions (Familiale), with three rows of seats, were also offered with an extended wheelbase of 20 cm, up to 278 cm.
By struggling to lengthen the wheelbase of the Estate and Family versions, the company established a mold that they would follow with some succeeding generations of Peugeot’s large family cars like the 404 and 504 models. In October 1952, the Paris Motor Show welcomed a modified 203 with a larger sunroof window with hinges at the front end of the front door and an extended rear window in the saloon versions. This upgrade also saw the relocation of the speedometer from the center dashboard to the front of the driver.
Alongside improvements for the existing cars, Peugeot introduced a 2-door coupe version of the 203 in late 1952, although it was not as successful as expected and silently disappeared from advertisements a year later. There were some low-volume cabriolet and coupe conversions done by outside specialists collaborating with Peugeot during the 203 production process, although removing the roof from the original unitary design required substantial reinforcement of the bodywork, making the car heavier and reducing performance.
Peugeot 203: the rare car cherished by vintage car enthusiasts in Phu Quoc
Browsing through many vintage car pages in Vietnam, I accidentally stumbled upon a beautiful and rare Mazda 1500 posted in the comments section of someone else’s car ad. Such a serendipitous connection! Upon closer examination, I was surprised to find out that the owner of the car has almost 10 cars in his garage, most of them being vintage cars. Among them, the Peugeot 203 convertible stands out.
After a while of sharing, he revealed that his name is Q.T, he grew up and lives on the pearl island of Phu Quoc, Kien Giang province. At this stage of his life, his main job is to shuttle guests to the airport and the remaining time is dedicated to his vintage car collection which is stored in a garage, several tens of kilometers away from his residence.
He often uses this Peugeot 203 convertible for photoshoots with customers, and it also brings in a considerable income for him to pursue this expensive hobby of collecting vintage cars.
Sharing the passion
There is a saying that one should not sell their passion unless they get a satisfying price, which is quite understandable because maintaining vintage cars is quite expensive. When curious about the selling price of this car, he shared, “How much would you consider a good price? A few hundred million or a billion VND?”
All I know is that there is currently a Peugeot 203 being advertised for 900 million VND (approximately $39,000), which is a hardtop version. So his convertible version is rare, and there are only 2 cars like this spotted on social media. After a while, the final selling price was 950 million VND (approximately $41,300). So, is it expensive or cheap?
What do the experts say?
When you want to know about a vintage car, of course, you need to seek out the experts. And who could understand the Peugeot 203 better than these “old men” who specialize in hunting for cars on buy/sell pages? After mentioning the condition of the car, we received dozens of questions.
But there are 2 very important points. Does the Peugeot 203 have a soft-top or did it have one converted? This question itself shows the intrigue surrounding the car. The owner then confirmed that the car is “original.” However, it is possible that buying the car already came with a top, but the previous owner sold it to them or the first owner did the conversion, whether the top was cut or not is a different matter.
One person called us back and enthusiastically confirmed their car, although the image was unrelated. A few hours later, they called again saying their car wasn’t beautiful, so it’s not for sale. It’s truly puzzling with vintage car enthusiasts who always want their car to be unique, having no second like it, even if there are many hidden talents with mysterious cars.
Nearly 1 billion VND for a Peugeot 203 that is still up for debate whether it is an original convertible or a converted one, there are still many concerns. If it is converted, how can it be transferred? However, the car owner guarantees that the two main procedures, title transfer and registration, will be taken care of. Nevertheless, potential buyers still have many reservations.
Aside from the Peugeot 203 Cabriolet that appeared at the 2017 car event, this is the second car that has appeared on social media. The owner of a Peugeot 203 Cabriolet with a Haiphong license plate also shared that he sold it to a businessman in Thanh Hoa. They thought their car was unique until they saw it on the internet. It’s hard to understand with those who play with vintage cars who always want their car to be one of a kind.
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