Created a new car class
Think Fiesta, Polo and Corsa. It wasn't Ford, Volkswagen and Opel that invented the small, practical subcompact class we all love today. It was Peugeot . The 104 model came in 1972, at the same time as the Fiat 127 and Renault 5, – two other competitors in this class. The Peugeot 104 was the pioneer. It was built on the platform of the 2-CV successor, the Citroen Visa. Eventually, the Citroen LN and Talbot Samba came on the same platform, – from the same group. Here at home, it was the Ford Fiesta that really boosted sales in this class in 1976. By then, the Peugeot 104 had been on sale for 4 years.
Model history
When the Peugeot 104 appeared at dealers as a 1972 model, it was without a rear door. There were 4 doors with it luggage hatch. The rear door only came the following year – first in the short 3-door variant of the Peugeot 104 – then available as a 5-door in 1976. From 1972 until production ended in 1988, several minor changes were made to the model. You can date a car by looking at the headlights, grille and bumpers. The 1972 model had square headlights with narrow bumpers. The 3-door variant got wider headlights and a narrower grille from 1973. The 5-door variant got the same in 1976. Then the models also got taillights with indicators that curved around the corners. From 1982, the taillights became wider without wrap-around indicators, but with reversing lights, the headlights became slightly smaller and the grille got a denser pattern. From 1983, the ribs in the grille became wider, painted in the car's color.
About the pictures
The photos were taken in France. The main photo is a car manufactured before 1976. The interior photo further down the page is from this car. The white car with 5 doors is a Norwegian car – a 1981 edition. The red car in profile and the white car with 3 doors were photographed in Céret, France. The orange car was photographed at a car show in Perpignan, 2023. The white one with additional lights was also photographed at the same place in 2024. It is a late model – probably after 1985. The silver-gray car with alloy wheels was photographed on the occasion of the Fête d'auto in Palau del Vidre, France 2024.
All models pictured are functional and drivable. What broke the few cars that ended up in Norway was rust. In areas where cars do not rust, there are still some 104s on the road. There are plenty of parts for them too. Right now there are actually 10 Peugeot 104 and 3 Citroen LN in Norway. The Peugeot 104 appears more often at car rallies.
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