'Drive in' reporter Richard Hudson Evans takes a spin in the new Peugeot 104 in southern France. First shown: 20/10/1976 If you would like to license a clip from this video please e mail: archive@fremantle.com Quote: VT15257
I remember serving these little cars on our roads, and they did a three door version which had a truncated look, maybe the ZS if I remember. Looks a handy little car and was impressed how the rear seats folded very flat unlike even some cars today. I must say the doors sounded rather tinny as he closed them! 😮
I keep forgetting how few hatchbacks there were in the early/mid 70s when the saloon was king. I'm impressed with the folding seats that actually lie flat!
75'76 were my fave years and still have my Motorshow mags from that year,,though all my car catalogues from then were stolen,,,this vid takes me back to being a very happy youngster,,,,wishing any folk out there a great day,,,
@@johnhigginbotham8291 the peugeot 104, Citroen LN/LNA ans Talbot samba were technical the same. The 205 was a complete new design The citroen visa was an evolution of the 104
Don’t know much about the 104, I preferred the Renault 5. I adored both the Mk1 and 2 even though I’ve never owned a French car, I love their character and innovation. Keep these old videos coming, I really enjoy them
Amazing how these cars never look new, this is a new car in 1976 but it still looks second-hand. It just goes to show how advanced paintwork is on cars today and they can still look new with a good polish after ten years.
I was thinking the same thing. It’s brand new but wouldn’t look out of place in a row of ten year old bashed up dirty simcas and renaults in a Paris side street
Look up Bob Mayer's "Behind the Wheel" car reviews for WTVJ in Miami. He comments on the paint on just about every car he tested starting in 1975 (mainly through the early '80s) and it ranges from "meh" to terrible.
You also have attribute some of that to the quality of the video. Forty year old video tape tends to lose some of its colour and contrast. But yes, car paint has advanced in four decades, as well as safety, performance, economy, comfort, luxury, reliability, quality of materials, quality of workmanship and long-term durability. (You'd have been lucky to get more than five rust-free years out of a Peugeot 104 in Britain...is there any car on sale now that you can say that about?)
@@pauldunneska Not disagreeing. Cars were generally thin and tinny back then, not just Peugeots. Modern car doors are thicker and heavier largely because of the required safety equipment - side beams, extra bracing and airbags - not to mention most cars today have thicker glass and power windows too, so that means electric motors in each door.
Very comfy cars the 104's but absurdly easy to understeer. Those 135/12 tyres together with the roly poly suspension was a lethal combination in wet roads.
This is the car the Allegro could have been, if BL had engaged their brain and recognised that Pinnifarina styling was a big part of the ADO16 success.
@@djh29971 They did when they worked for BMC but it did not stop them selling a lot more ADO16 than they sold Allegro, they did at Renault and it did not stop them selling a lot more Renault 5, they did at Fiat and they did not stop them selling a lot more Fiat 127 etc etc. Strikes were a problem at BL, but the failure of the ADO17, Maxi and finaly the Allegro in the market place meant that no matter what they built and how often they turned up for work after 1974 they no longer had the sales channels to sell the volume of cars to be a volume car manufacturer. The Allegro was the last chance and the single most important car they ever designed, and they messed it up before they go to building it not very well.
I had a 1986 Citroën Visa 4 cylinder - which was basically a later modified version with a roomier and rustproof body. Liked it a lot and it went pretty well until some oaf crashed into it when my sister was driving it...
My dad had one I think till 1997 or so. Great engine, he used to drive it every day. He never had to fix it. In the winter, no matter how cold it was the engine started instantly. IThe heat inside was excellent, felt like you were in hell in no time while outside was way below freezing. The bodywork was terrible, it rusted pretty fast and he had to paint and fix tit like every 5 years or so until the chassis started to rust too and water went in during rain... :) Great car, except the body.
0:47. He tells us that all 4 side doors open which you would think is obvious but then at 4:14 with the rear door open it looks to me that the front door won't be able to open as it will get caught on the bottom of the rear door!
Wasn't out yet but I'd have a 104 S with the rip snorting 72hp 1360cc, alloys, side stripes, pin stripe seats and sporty steering wheel!! In bright red😁 ps...rather have a Renault 14 TS though....
No Name I had two 104s - the second one was the S model as you described but in blue. Black seats with blue racing stripes and the silver striping outside. Nice little cars. Also had a 14 that I'm pretty sure was a TS - all the electrics and nice seats and wheels. Sadly a rusty old thing by the time I got it for £75! Ran well for a couple of years, though.
Never a great fan of French cars but I did own a Renault 16 once, column gear change and very comfortable motorway car. Was to quirky though. When it rained the water drip down through the gap in the bonnet immediately over the spark plug and short it out!!
To be fair all cars from that era used to rust although the Italian and French cars did seem to go a bit quicker. I remember my father being mortified when his 1100 rusted out after five years and the Marina he replaced it with had significant rust bursting from the body seams after four. My father was from that rare breed who always had cars under sealed, religiously garaged them and no matter what time we got home would leather the car off if it had been raining.
today you don't get hatchbacks with big rear windows because to maximise the rated boot space with the load cover on vs the competition, the bottom of the window needs to be as high up as possible.
@@dcanmore Vauxhall & Ford were/are both multinationals/foreign owned, although both were made in the UK. Chrysler Sunbeam wasn't launched until '77 and was also foreign owned. BL had nothing until the Metro in 1980. 104 was the only 5 door hatch available back then.
Cars are built to satisfy their primary market. The United States is a vast country with low fuel prices. Could a Peugeot 104 cruise comfortably at 80 mph while transporting a family of five plus luggage in air conditioned comfort on a cross country trip of 3000 miles or so? Would it even start on a -40 degree day in Minnesota?
@@appalachiahiker853 unfortunately for your misinformed and misguided prejudice the French are much more productive than the UK worker - please do enjoy your edible turd in return
I rather have the 104 offshoots, the Citroen LNA or the Talbot Samba rallye, the 104 is a nice car but well as for the Samba that came either a 3d hatch or 2d Cabriolet with mild to wild trims. The Citroen from what I remember came either as a LN or LNA and body type were similar to the Peugeot.
Because weight was critical, in many European markets there were restrictions on capacity, i.e. 1100cc, so cars like the 104 and 204, Simca 1100, Citroen GS had to be light enough to cruise at 150 kmh with just 1100cc giving around 50hp under the bonnet.
In 10 years time we will be looking at the cars of today, saying the same thing. It is funny listening to these type videos where they talk about innovation and aerodynamics. Wonder what the future will bring 👍🏻
@@greghonda5475 Agree partly but did you see the tailgate flex when closing ? Still wish they would skip the prettiness on modern cars and instead concentrate on the engineering.
Always preferred the mk1 Polo and Fiesta to this, but the 104 always came across as worthy if a bit more plain and downmarket. Perhaps it just didn't look as nice? Those 5 doors are very practical though, and something the Fiesta, Polo and even the Renault 5 took a few years to get (though R5 was years before the VW and Ford).
The original Fiesta was very tinny and not as well built as many of its rivals - and they rusted badly - but that didn't stop Ford from selling millions around the world! The Mk1 Polo was probably the pick of the bunch but the styling was decidedly bland even for that time. The Mk2 Polo and Fiestas, however, were much-improved cars with modern styling that set the standard for small cars in the 1980s. Peugeot small cars really didn't take off in Britain until the all-conquering 205 became the benchmark in its class.
@@RoadCone411 there's a lot of truth in what you say. I actually had a 205GTi in the mid 90s..and whilst I loved it (fabulous to drive), I called it my "baco-foil" car. So build not great even then for Peugeot, and Fords not great either though both marks usually reliable enough.
@@RoadCone411 ich hatte in den 80igern einen VW Derby (Polo mit Stufenheck) das Auto war das schrottigste Auto das ich jemals besessen habe. Nach dem Derby kaufte ich mir einen Peugeot 205 GRD und das war eins der besten Kleinwagen den ich jemals gefahren habe. Es folgte noch ein GRD und 2 GTI's und ich war mit allen bestens zufrieden. Auch heute fahre ich Peugeot 208 eHDI ohne Schummelsoftware. VW Diesel kommt mir nie im leben vor das Haus. Zu groß die Gefahr das man von VW verarscht wird.
4:35 - As long as the Franc doesn't surge even further against the British Pound ... - well not so good times for England - and France too. In that decade all European currencies devaluated against the Deutschmark - but one obviously more than the other. BTW the valuation of the Deutschmark didn't kill the German Motor industry at all - as the pressure brought the companies to rolling out better products - ok to premium prices. Tell that all the Kensianists of today.
Wonder when was the time I get to be one of the first 100 (79 in this case) to watch this video and it's initial comment! About the 1st in a long line of 1xx Peugeots being sold to this day... Well it seems a couple of chaps beat me by a few minutes, but still the 3rd comment...
The parcel shelf doesn't look unlike the plastic trays which chicken portions are sold in supermarkets today. And those flared trousers are not a good look... especially round the groin area...
BL sold the Innocenti Mini in France and it was very popular why they never used the estate/van floorpan and done a 5 door version?,,, But by then they had sold the factory to DeTomaso as the Unions had made them go broke
