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Peugeot for Perfume
Page 68
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DOSSIBLY the most luxurious and 1elegant Van to operate in this country will shortly be seen in the streets. of the City and West End of London. Based on a Peugeot 403 B5 10-cwt. capacity sheetmetal van, it has been beautified externally to meet ' the requirements of the customers; the French perfume company, Chanel, Ltd., whose London office is at 25 Old Bond Street.
The van is one of the first to be used in this country and is finished entirely in black. An imitation wickerwork effect on the sides, of the van sweeps up from behind the front wheels to the rear of the vehicle—work carried out by Mr. G. C. Francis, of Auto Movement, Ltd., 13 Bishop's Bridge Road, London, W.2, who developed this type of decoration.
Further improvements to the livery include the use of aluminium anodized gold lettering for the company name, a " Purdah " smoked-glass rear window, chromium-plated hub caps, windscreen wipers and wing mirrors,-whitewall tyres, a wire mesh screen between the driving compartment and van body and a redesigned radiator grille.
The Peugeot van in standard form is fitted with an all-steel body and is powered by a 1,468 c.c. over-square petrol engine, which develops 65 b.h.p. at 4,900 r.p.m. The drive is transmitted through a four-speed gearbox with builtin overdrive top to a worm-drive rear axle. A steering column gear change is used.
A noteworthy feature is the use of rack-and-pinion steering, which, with a turning circle of less than 31 feet and 3?, turns of the wheel from lock to lock, makes it surprisingly easy to get into parking places, the bumper to bumper length being 13 ft. 5 in. The internal dimensions of the luggage compartment, which gives a capacity of approximately 83 cu. ft., are: length, 73 in.; width, 53 in.; and height 40 in. The total width . of the vehicle is 66 in., the loading height 21 in. and the unladen weight 231 cwt.
As sold in Britain, the van has Michelin X tyres; independent front suspension; a large rear door opening at an angle of 120'; flashing indicators; attach
c30 ments for rapid and secure fixing of a luggage rack and stainless-steel bumpers and trim. The British specification also -includes interior heating 'and screen demisting; an anti-theft steering lock; a battery cut-off switch; safety type dashboard fitted with anti-shock padding; a sun vizor, and separate adjustable seats with roller blind hanging behind, all of which are covered in• p.v.e.
Peugeot have a reputation for building extremely reliable vehicles and, because the money spent on their construction goes into engineering quality rather than decoration, it is likely that the 403 B5 will give very long service even under the most arduous of conditions. With a claimed fuel consumption of 40.5 m.p.g. at a constant 30 m.p.h., this vehicle obviously has many worth-while properties.
The Peugeot 403 B5 van is priced at £765 in its standard form, although an oil-engined version is available to special order from the Peugeot agents in this country, Distributors Peugeot, Ltd., 127 High Street, Croydon, Surrey.