Compared to its predecessor 404, the Peugeot 504 was an ultramodern car. The striking headlight shape of the 504 first made the link with the sultry glance of Sophia Loren. This diva and her viewers modeled the intriguing look of the 504. It will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in September 1968 and has a bodywork developed in-house, although Sergio Pininfarina had come to help. All four wheels are independently suspended and the 504 is equipped with disc brakes all round. The 1,796 cc four-cylinder engine (82 hp) is a further development of the engine of the Peugeot 404. Barely a year after its introduction, it is already available with fuel injection and the power increases to 97 hp. In the same year (1969), the 504 was voted European “Car of the Year” and, of course, that benefits sales. Production only stops in 1983 and more than 2.8 million 504s have already been built. But even then the curtain still does not quite fall for the popular Peugeot, because in South America people go even further; in Nigeria and Kenya even up to and including 2004.
