Peugeot 402

The 402 was characterized by what became during the 1930s a "typically Peugeot" front end, with headlights well set back behind the grille. The style of the body was directly modelled on the Chrysler Airflow, which was seen as revolutionary at the time. Peugeot bought one or two Airflows to disassemble and study. Thus, the 402 received the soubriquet:'' 'Fuseau Sochaux' ''in France – this loosely translates to the "spindle or axis of Peugeot's main plant in Sochaux". Streamlining was a feature of French car design in the 1930s, as can be seen by comparing the Citroën Traction Avant or some of the Bugattis of the period, such as the Type 57, with predecessor models such as the Citroën Rosalie. Peugeot was among the first volume manufacturers to apply streamlining to the extent exemplified by the 402 and smaller Peugeot 202 in a volume market vehicle range. Recessed ‘safety’ door handles also highlighted the car's innovative aspirations, as did the advertised automatic transmission and diesel engine options. Comparisons with Citroën's large family car of the time, the Traction Avant were and remain unavoidable. In that comparison, the basic underpinnings of the 402 remained conventional, based on known technologies, and presumably were relatively inexpensive to develop and manufacture: it was Citroën that in 1934 had been forced to sell its car manufacturing business to its largest creditor, Michelin. Sticking to a traditional separate chassis configuration also made it much easier for Peugeot's 402 to be offered with a wide range of different bodies. The amount invested in developing the car and in tooling up to produce it, as well as the aggressive way in which it was priced, suggest that Peugeot always intended the 402 to be a big seller by the standards of the time. Nevertheless, it was also a big car at the high end of the volume car market, and in advertising material of the time Peugeot evidently thought it important to highlight one or two tempting standard features, such as the twin windscreen wipers powered by their own electric motor, the semaphore-style trafficators, the clock included on the instrument panel, the twin sun visors and the switchable reserve section of the fuel tank. ==The range==

and van versions, during and after the war. Even by 1930s standards, the range of different 402 models based on the single chassis was large, comprising at one stage, by one estimate, sixteen different body types, from expensive steel bodied convertible cars, to family saloons which were among the most spacious produced in France. An aspect of the all-steel car bodies that became mainstream among the larger European automakers in the 1930s was the very high initial cost associated with the heavy steel presses and the dies needed to cut and stamp pressed steel sheeting into the panels that, when welded together, would form a sufficiently rigid and robust car body. The wide range of car bodies was therefore carefully devised to maximise the sharing of panels between the different body variants listed. Three chassis lengths There were three different standard wheelbases of (short), (“normal”) and (long). “short” wheelbase (1937-1940) When the 402 was launched in 1935 there were just two chassis lengths, but for 1937 the manufacturer added a third “short” chassis, inherited from the short-lived Peugeot 302. The short chassis was used from 1937 for the Peugeot 402 Légère (“light-bodied”). The Peugeot 402 Légère was first exhibited in July 1937 and was featured on the Peugeot stand in place of the Peugeot 302 at that year's October Motor Show. The simple formula of combining one existing bodyshell with another engine that was also already in production enabled the manufacturer to produce an attractively brisk car with minimum investment. Approximately 11,000 were produced. From the outside the 402 Légère was initially virtually indistinguishable from the 302. Peugeot resumed production of hardtop convertibles with the 2001 Peugeot 206 CC (Coupé Cabriolet). Several of the body types were priced (and presumably costed) to be produced in relatively low volumes, and despite appearing at the Motor Show in October 1936, three had been delisted by the start of 1937. Peugeot were slightly unusual among principal auto-makers at this time in never having acquired a Paris taxi business themselves, but the 402 taxi had nevertheless evidently been well received by independent taxi operators. Much attention at the 1936 show also focused on the “402 cabriolet metallique decouvrable” which was a reincarnation of the Éclipse, but now using the “long” wheel base which made enough space for a (rather cramped) second bench seat. Light commercial van and utility variants of the 402 were also produced (or derived from conversion), and during the car's final years, during World War II, assumed increasing prominence within the range. Sources vary as to whether production was ended it 1942 or continued further, possibly till 1944. ==The engines==

Petrol/gasoline The car was launched with a four-cylinder water-cooled engine of 1991 cc with poppet valves. With its claimed the standard bodied car could achieve a top speed of at 4,000 rpm. By the final weeks of 1938 several prototype 402s had been fitted with the HL50 diesel unit already being used for light trucks. The development work was not wasted, however, and in 1959 Peugeot would launch the 403, one of the world's earlier diesel powered saloons, albeit beaten to the market by Mercedes-Benz. ==Running gear==

Standard transmission was a three-speed manual system, driving through the rear wheels. (up from an already hefty 1,800 Francs in 1936), it was too expensive to appeal to most 402 buyers. Stopping the car was achieved using mechanical (cable operated) drum brakes: with the Citroën Traction already featuring hydraulic brakes, cable-operated brakes were beginning to be regarded as an old technology which compromised the innovative image presented by other aspects of the 402. ==Commercial==

Approximately 75,000 402s were produced during the seven or more years of production. It took Peugeot from the 1930s to the 1940s, covering two decades that saw a dramatic reduction in the number of automakers in France. Of the survivors, Citroën was taken over by the tyre/tire company Michelin in 1934 and Renault was nationalised in 1945. Peugeot survived and retained its independence. France declared war on Germany in 1939 and after this date cabriolet and convertible versions of the 402 disappeared from the price lists. The April 1940 price list shows only the standard bodied and long wheelbase saloons. Peugeot only became a regular supplier to the army in 1938, but during 1939 and 1940 several thousand 202s and 402s were operating with the armed services, the long wheel base 402 being a particular military favourite. ==The Peugeot 402 in a world without petrol==

motor fuel for civilian use disappeared, and more than 2,500 Peugeots were adapted to run on gas generated through the controlled burning of charcoal in a boiler mounted on the vehicle. The 402 Longue was found to be particularly suitable for the conversion. The speed of the French defeat in June 1940 may have come as a shock, but the advent of another war with Germany and of resulting restrictions on civilian fuel availability had been widely foreseen. In 1939 Peugeot were already investigating the adaptation of petrol/gasoline engines to run on gas created by the controlled burning of charcoal. The technology would prove particularly suitable for the long bodied Peugeot 402 and for the Peugeot DMA light truck. On the car it was possible to fit the necessary components without excessive modification of the bodywork. A charcoal burning boiler, able to accommodate 35 kg of charcoal, was mounted on a stout platform at the back of the car. This provided sufficient power for approximately 80 km (50 miles) before more charcoal needed to be taken on board. The controlled burning of the charcoal produced carbon monoxide, known as gazogène, which was captured and transferred in a stout pipe mounted on the outside of the right-hand C-pillar to a roof mounted gas tank. From here another stout pipe mounted on the outside of the right hand A-pillar drew the gazogène down to the engine. Between 1940 and 1944 more than 2,500 Peugeots were equipped with a gazogène fuel system. == Peugeot DK 5 ==

The Peugeot DK 5 was a military truck produced by Peugeot during the 1930s-1940s for use by the French army. It saw use during the Second World War and was also used by the Wehrmacht when Germany conquered France. The DK 5 was based on a dedicated truck chassis but had the body of the 401 and the front part of the 402 with its back cut off to accommodate a large cargo area. The vehicle curb weight was around , had a payload a 1,5 ton payload and received the Peugeot 402's 2142 cc straight-4. 12,500 were manufactured. The last vehicles were retired from service during the 1950s-1960s. The Peugeot DMA was later derived from this design. ==Film appearance==

The 402 is the Paris taxicab that Don Ameche drove in the screwball comedy Midnight (1939 film). The 402 is the car Odile Versois drove in the British film A Day to Remember (1953 film). The car was used by HP Baxxter in his music video 'Friends' A 402 was recreated by Japanese-based animator/filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki for his 1989 film Majo no takkyubin. ==References==