The Littlegeot 504 was released in France in September 1968, and just 11 months later this model of auto disembarked in Argentina, a well-remembered launch because in those days the vehicles took a long time to cross from one continent to another.
However, the “instantaneity” paid offy the 504 was a resounding success from day onebeing consecrated in 1969 as the car of the year both in Europe and in Argentina, at which time it also began to be produced in the local market by SAFRAR, a Franco-Argentine Automotive Limited Company made up of the parent companies of Peugeot and Citroën .
At that time began a long road that led this model to expand its range with bodies that were offered from the sedan to a station wagon and a van, manufactured for 30 consecutive years, until 1999.
The Peugeot 504 car in its first year of life, 1968
In those 30 years, some 500,000 units of the Peugeot 504 came to light, a figure that served to become the The largest production model in national automotive history, surpassing other myths such as the Ford Falcon and the Renault 12.
Peugeot 504, its luxury car origins
The Peugeot 504 was born with a special touch: was created by Pininfarina, the great Italian designer who put his stamp on different successful cars throughout history. The initial idea was to make it look like a modern sedan that left behind the old lines of the 404.
The presentation to the French was made by Pininfarina, who retracted it with a drawing detailing the trapezoidal headlights. Sergio Pininfarina himself accepted the counterproposal with an exclamation: “It’s Sophia Lauren’s look!” Thus, he understood that there might be nothing more sensual and elegant than the eyes of the great Italian diva of the time.
The Peugeot 504 was designed by Pininfarina.
In Argentina it was positioned like a luxury car thanks to the prestige of the brand and the level of equipment it offered. In addition, it had a ride comfort that many said was “enviable.” With mechanics similar to the one used for the 404 model, the first version of the “Yeyo”, as it was called, was equipped with a 1,657 cm3 gasoline engine with a power of 76 hp.
During his first years of life he participated in a segment in which there was not much offer. The most luxurious national car of that time was the Rambler Ambassador, which was just discontinued in 1969. Still, this model, like the Ford Falcon, the Torino and the Chevy (which also started production in ’69) belonged to to a superior segment for its size. There was only a clear competitor of the 504 in 1975, when The Ford Taunus went on sale.
The great rival of the Peugeot 504 was the Ford Taunus
The first car with a cassette player
The 504 sedan was followed by the Coupe and Cabriolet, which had its own design, and in 1971 the station wagon appeared, which might carry up to 8 passengers. The last body, the pick up, was launched in Europe in 1972 and in Argentina in 1981.
The 504 for more passengers.
But in 1974 the 504 received its first modification: the 1,657 cm3 engine gave way to another 1.8-liter and changed the name of the versions: XL, XE and XSE. The latter would go down in history for being the first national car that incorporated the pasacassette from the factory.
In the year 1975 the “Yeyo” had stronger competition. The Taunus, a model of similar size, was released with very good reviews. SAFRAR launched in 1976 two new versions. In accordance with the taste of consumers, the power of the engine continued to increase, and the 1.8 gave way to a 2-liter that had two versions, a more domestic one with 96 CV and another more sporty, with 110 horses, which was called TN (the acronym referred to National Tourism).
These versions incorporated a highly equipped dashboard (with a rev counter, not very common at the time), a sports steering wheel, a lever on the floor and reclining seats.
The second Argentine generation
In France, the 504 had a single generation that was manufactured from its origins until 1987, but in Argentina production continued until 1999.
It was in 1983, when the brand was already in the hands of another company called Sevel, when the restyling of the sedan began to keep it current. This decision was made following the Peugeto 505 had been launched in Europe in 1979 and the younger brother was beginning to lose prominence. New rivals also arrived, such as the Renault 18 and Ford Sierra.
Peugeot 504 and the Graciela Alfano commercial.
Already in the late 1980s, the 504 manifested itself as the ideal car to be used as a rental vehicle or public passenger transport. Its great comfort and interior space, a noble diesel engine, a ride that to this day is difficult to match, an increasingly tempting price -due to the passage of time- and some other benefits were sufficient arguments for taxi drivers.
In 1990 had surpassed the barrier of 250,000 units sold, and when everything suggested that his story was regarding to come to an end, another restyling was presented to continue fighting. It was in 1993, also made by Pininfarina, and from then on it would remain as it was known until its last days.
Public acceptance never turned its back on it and in 1994 it was surprising to be the best sales year for this model: 24,970 units. That was also a special year for the national industry.
numbers that make history
At 30 years old, it is the national model with the longest uninterrupted permanence in our market, surpassing even the Falconwhich occurred between 1962 and 1991, and at Renault 12which was manufactured between 1970 and 1994.
Despite its age and rivals, in 1994 the Peugeot 504 achieved its best year in sales, with almost 25,000 patented units. It was following the last aesthetic change, with a new design signed by Pininfarina, in which the plastic bumpers gained ground, the entire interior changed and also the tail, with the license plate holder on the bumper and a version with horizontal taillights joined by an appliqué black.
The last update came in 1994 at the hands of Pininfarina. With aesthetic changes in the tail and touch-ups to the equipment (it added air conditioning, hydraulic steering and electric windows, among other details), it sold 24,970 copies that year. It was the best in its history.
It said goodbye to the Argentine factory in 1999 as the car with the highest national production (this century they surpassed it), following almost 500,000 units. Most of them were distributed in the local market.
