page_title: Peugeot 203
section_title: The body
hierarchical_section_title: Peugeot 203 / The body
caption_attribution_description: English: Peugeot 203 highlighting the exposed fuel filler cap on the pre 1953 cars. This example was exhibited at the Peugeot museum in Sochaux in 2015
context_page_description: The Peugeot 203 is a small family car which was produced by the French car manufacturer Peugeot between 1948 and 1960.
  The car was exhibited at the Paris Motor Show in 1947, but by then had already been under development for more than five years. Volume manufacturing was initially hampered by strikes and shortages of materials, but production got under way late in 1948, with buyers taking delivery of 203s from early 1949.
  The 203 was Peugeot's first new model launched after World War II. During its twelve-year production run nearly 700,000 203s of all variants rolled off the assembly line in Sochaux, France. Between the demise of the 202 in 1949 and the launch of the 403 in 1955, the 203 was the only model produced by Peugeot.
context_section_description: The 203 was the first monocoque bodied production Peugeot.   The car was eye catchingly modern and bore a marked resemblance to the American Chevrolet Fleetline fastback, although its wind cheating profile also reflected the streamlining trend apparent in some of Europe's more modern designs, including some of Peugeot's own 402 model, from the 1930s.
  The 4-door saloon was the major seller, but from 1950 a commodious 4-door version (Commerciale) and a 6-seat (Familiale), with three rows of seats, were also offered on a wheelbase lengthened by 20 cm (7.9 in) to 278 cm (109 in). By taking the trouble to extend the wheelbase for the estate and family versions, the company set a pattern which they would follow with several succeeding generations of large family Peugeot estates such as the 404 and 504.
  In October 1952 the Paris Motor Show welcomed a modified 203 which now featured hinged quarter light windows  on the front ends of the front doors and an enlarged rear window on the saloon versions.   This upgrade also saw the removal of the speedometer from the centre of the dashboard to a position directly ahead of the driver.
  Publicity shots from the early 1950s tend to avoid showing the rear of the car from the right side.  That changes with 203s displayed at the 1953 Motor Show, after which the hitherto protruding fuel filler cap was sunk a couple of centimeters lower into the rear wing, and gained the protection of an opening flap set flush with the line of the bodywork.
  Along with improvements to the existing cars, Peugeot introduced a 2-door 203 coupé at the end of 1952, although this was not as successful as hoped and quietly disappears from the brochures a year later.   There were several low volume cabriolet and coupé conversions produced by outside specialists in collaboration with Peugeot available during the 203's production run, though removing the roof from an early monocoque design necessitated extensive body strengthening which added to the car's weight and reduced the performance.
  For a number years the leading edge of car's nose carried an angular, forward-leaning chrome lion bonnet ornament – the lion image being Peugeot's trade mark. That was removed for 1959, due to safety concerns, and the logo was incorporated into a baguette shaped flatter emblem on the car's nose.
  A military variant was developed and presented to the military who showed little interest.   The prototype was converted into a factory fire engine for the Peugeot plant.
caption: Until 1953 the protruding fuel filler cap was rather exposed.   (From 1953 it was recessed and protected by a flap.)
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