| Peugeot 401 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Peugeot |
| Production | 1934–1935 13,545 produced[1] |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Family car |
| Layout | FR layout |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1.7 LI4 |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Peugeot Type 176 |
| Successor | Peugeot 402 |
ThePeugeot 401 was amid-size model fromPeugeot produced in 1934 and 1935. It was introduced at the October 1934Paris Motor Show and was again on display at the 29th Paris Show of 1935.[2]
It featured in a full page newspaper advertisement placed by Peugeot in "L'Argus" on 10 October 1935,[3] and disappeared from the manufacturer's price list only three months later, at the start of 1936,[3] reflecting the need to dispose of an inventory backlog.[3] Production of the 401 had already come to an end in August 1935, less than a year after the model's introduction.[3]
The Peugeot 401 was the first car to be built (by coachbuilderCarrosserie Pourtout) as a coupé-convertible, with aretractable hardtop that could be moved and stowed under a reverse-hinged rear luggage lid.
The 401 was powered by an enlarged version of the engine from the smallerPeugeot 301 and slotted between that model and the range-topping601. The 401's four cylinder side-valve engine displaced 1,720 cc and produced 44 horsepower (33 kW) at 3,500 rpm.[3]
Models of the 401 include the401 D,401 DL, and401 DLT. Though the majority were made assedans, the 401 was offered with no fewer than eleven different body styles.
Peugeot built anelectric folding metal roof more than twenty years beforeFord reimagined the concept in their(Galaxie) Skyliner Retractable. Peugeot seemed unsure what to call the car – their catalog spoke of both "coupé transformable electrique" and "cabriolet metallique decouvrable" – the system was simply called "Eclipse" by its original inventor and designerGeorges Paulin. It was first introduced by Paulin, in collaboration with premier FrenchcoachbuilderCarrosserie Pourtout, on the 401D.[4]
The Eclipse was built on a standard Peugeot model 401D's chassis. It ranks as both the longest and lowest of the 401 models:
184 in (4.67 m) long and just under 60 in (1.52 m) tall, weighing 2,851 lb (1,293 kg). The 401D 1,720 cc (105 cu in) straight four engine was rated at 12taxable horsepower, roughly the equivalent of 50 to 60 horsepower, enough to propel the Eclipse to about 100 km/h (62 mph).[4] A total of 79 Peugeot 401 Eclipses were made.[5] Pourtout and Paulin also builtEclipse coaches of the 301 and 601, on chassis provided by Paris Peugeot-dealerDarl'mat.[6]
The all-steel bodiedPeugeot 402, featuring a style regarded at the time as strikingly futuristic, was announced in October 1935, which coincided with significant price reductions for several of the previous generation of Peugeots, including the 401.[3]