Peugeot 504 Cabriolet

Some car models don't know how to give up. Think of the Landrover Defender, Volkswagen Beetle, Mercedes G-Class and the Toyota Land Cruiser. Cars that cannot be taken off the streets, a dream of every car manufacturer. At some point, the development costs are out of it and you only have to cough up the production costs. To achieve this, it has to be a very good car. Not every car can be kept in production for 15 years. The Peugeot 504 was a hit at the Paris Salon in 1968. An extremely well designed and developed car with a solid foundation; longitudinal front engine and rear-wheel drive. Besides the sportier driving experience, also more balance. A successful successor to the 404, which had been in production since 1960. A year after its introduction, the 504 was awarded the (then very prestigious) Car of the Year title.

To extend the shelf life of a model, there must be many successful variants. Also something the Peugeot 504 succeeded in. Eventually, the 504 was offered as a Coupe, Cabriolet, Break, Pickup, Dangel (4×4) and as an Ambulance (the Loisirs).
We will take a closer look at the Cabriolet in this piece. In fact, we have a beautiful 504 Cabrio, finished in Arrosa Blanc. The body was designed by Pininfarina, and it shows! The convertible is a paragon of understated elegance, something that seems a bit lost in the year 2019. In addition to its Italian design, the 504 convertible actually has a bit of Italian blood; it came off the same factory line as the Alfa Romeo Spider "Duetto. Another special fact: the ones sold in New Zealand were assembled there by rival Renault!

Technically, the Cabrio is largely the same as the Berline, however the wheelbase (15 cm shorter) differs considerably. It shares the 2.0 liter engine with injection with the 504 Ti. From 1970 to 1974, the 4 pitter was dropped and replaced by the PRV V6 engine, an engine developed by Renault, Volvo and Peugeot themselves. Incidentally, this one was also used in the Delorian DMC-12. After long insistence by enthusiasts, in 1974 the four-cylinders were again delivered in the Convertibles. After 1978, the PRV V6 was even dropped and could only be found in the Coupe.

In the end, just over 3 million 504s were delivered in Europe. Why are they hardly on the streets anymore? Export. Because even in the countries of Africa the car is very popular because of its simple technology and reliability. It is almost the French version of the Mercedes W123. A bottle of Dreft on wheels; it lasts longer, much longer!

This 504 is from 1982 and is in true top condition. The car is completely in original colors. The car was originally from Switzerland, crossed the border into the Netherlands and found its current home in a Peugeot collection.

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