French motor manufacturers have had a generally unhappy relationship with the executive car segment – dominated for decades by BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Rover and Jaguar – ever since the Citroën DS ended production back in 1975. There is a good argument to say that the DS’s immediate successor, the long, streamlined CX, was a pretty good car, but it didn’t really threaten the default choices. Nor were Renault’s attempts to compete in this arena any better – the Renault 20 and 30, while perfectly decent cars, lacked both the presence and the quality to compete with the Germans and Brits.
For the previous 40 years Peugeot had reached upwards no further than the middle-class saloon and coupé market with the rally-winning 504 saloon and lovely Pininfarina-designed coupé and convertible versions of that car, their last foray into the executive echelons being with the 601 in 1934.
So launching the 604 was quite a gamble, and to help them take on the Big Four as well as rivals such as the Volvo 200 series, FIAT 130 and Lancia’s Gamma in the ultra-competitive executive sector, they turned to Pininfarina again to create a car that that would have the cachet of being clothed in a designer suit.
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An ultra-competitive market sector
Presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1975, the car won praise for its smooth, elegant styling. Initially available with a 2.7-litre V6 producing 144bhp (an engine developed together with Renault and Volvo) .
Besides its styling, the 604 also won praise for its spaciousness, smooth ride – something it inherited from the 504) – handling and steering, and the French company made no secret of who it thought it’s main rivals were, with a pricing policy that made it more expensive than a BMW 520i in the UK, and almost £1500 more than a Granada 2.8 Ghia.
The UK motoring press were generally very positive towards the 604, with Car magazine claiming to be “utterly impressed” with it, with only minor criticisms directed at its ventilation, lack of support from the deep front seats and the brakes. Otherwise, its refinement, smooth performance, good looks and supple ride led it to conclude that “the Jaguar XJ6, the BMW 525/528, the Fiat 130, Mercedes 280E and Volvo 264 GL are going to have to close ranks against a formidable new intruder” – high praise indeed. In fact, in a 1975 group test with the Jaguar XJ63.4 and BMW 528, they concluded it was faster and more comfortable than the BMW, and that in some respects was a better car than the Jaguar, felt by many to be one of the world’s best cars.
Car’s enthusiasm for the 604 remained undimmed in various road tests over the years, ranking it above the MB 280E and BMW 728 in a group test in November 1977, and in another group test in 1978, made the 604Ti the winner ahead of the Lancia Gamma and Rover SD1 2600.
They weren’t the only ones – What Car magazine tested the 604ti in 1980 – midway through the car’s decade-long production run – and compared it on this occasion with Renault 30TX, Granada Ghia 2.8iS and Vauhall’s new Royale saloon. Although the testers gave overall victory to the Royale. the French saloon was the fastest with a maximum speed of 119mph, quickest from 0-60 (9.7 seconds) and yet the most economical. It was also the cheapest, as well as attracting compliments for its ride, handling, comfort and refinement.
Motor magazine was a little less fulsome in its praise, considering the 604 to have many good points but they were disappointed in its refinement, some of the ergonomics and some quality control issues – not exactly an uncommon accusation for a Peugeot.
In 1979 the 604 was made available with a turbodiesel engine – Autocar ran one for 36,000 miles and they concluded by saying “This was one car we would dearly have loved to have kept in the family. It offers a rare combination of luxury, big car motoring at a very modest cost. And if this were not enough, the standards of ride and handling are difficult to match at any price”.
Even towards the end of its time on sale, the big Peugeot was still considered to be the best riding car on sale by Car, although it was starting to date when compared to Volvo’s new 760.
And yet….despite all this praise, the 604 was a relative commercial failure, with only 153,252 examples built over a ten year period – just 15,000 a year. Citroen made eight times as many of the CX, and the 604’s failure discouraged Peugeot from developing a direct successor until the 605 in 1989.
In our classic car world, the 604 barely gets a look in when executive saloons are discussed – it’s all 5-series BMW, E-Class Mercedes and Jaguar XJ 2.8 or 3.4, and this is reflected in the car’s values, which are generally quite a lot lower than the usual suspects, although to be fair, it’s not alone – the Lancia Gamma, FIAT 130 saloon and Vauxhall Royale have suffered similarly in comparison to the Germans in particular.
Nevertheless, it remains a fine car with many virtues, and with all this in mind, we come to our Prime Find for this week, which is a 1978 Peugeot 604 automatic that comes up for auction with Anglia Car Auctions over the weekend of June 16th and 27th. There is currently very little information about the car on the auctioneer’s website, but one interesting thing about it is that it has been owned within the same family since new, so the mileage of ….. is warranted, and history known.
It has the 2.7-litre V6 petrol engine and is finished in dark brown – the DVLA has recorded it as red, but it’s definitely brown – with brown leather upholstery (steady chaps!) and looks from the photos we have borrowed from the auctioneer’s website to be in decent shape, though as always, we recommend prior inspection if you’re interested. However, with an estimate range of just £4,000 to £6,000, the risk is relatively low, and it’s entirely possible that the car could turn out to be a gem. Other 604’s currently for sale in the UK….well, other than one that’s only good for parts, there aren’t any.
You can see the full lot entry here – whoever buys this big Peugeot will be very unlikely to see another on their travels, with only six left on the road in the UK and another five SORN’d, making it a very exclusive luxo-barge indeed, and for very reasonable money.
With our Saturday instalment of Prime Find of the Week, we’re offering our services to the classic car community, by passing on our favourite classic car for sale from the week that passed. This top-tip might help a first-time-buyer to own his first classic, or it could even be the perfect motivation for a multiple-classic-car-owner to expand his garage with something different. We’ll let us inspire by anything from a cheap project to a stunning concours exotic, and hope that you will do the same.
Just remember – Any Classic is Better than No Classic! We obviously invite our readers to help prospective buyers with your views and maybe even experiences of any given model we feature. Further to that, if you stumble across a classic which you feel we ought to feature as Prime Find of the Week, then please send us a link to primefindoftheweek@viaretro.co.uk