A truck built by Peugeot sounds a bit strange to the connoisseur. Nevertheless, quite a lot of trucks were built by Peugeot during wartime. In fact, the factory in Sochaux ran completely on it in the early days. The Peugeot truck of the type 1525 looks a bit extraterrestrial for Peugeot concepts. Perhaps this is due to the unusual type designation with up to four digits or because of its enormous dimensions and its heavy steel rims with solid rubber tires?
The truck is fairly primary in shape and stands tall on its wheels. No luxury, just the essentials. It had to be because at the time of publication it is 1917 and the First World War is still in full swing. Most of these 1525 trucks went straight from the new factory in Sochaux to the front in Verdun.
The 1525 was produced from 1917 to 1920. Towards the end of the war, Peugeot developed a truck that could be used for both defense and civilian use. The four-cylinder 4,712 cc engine delivered 22 HP and brought it to a top speed of about 30 km per hour (tailwind). The engine in the front engine powered the rear wheels via a four-speed gearbox and a rotating steel drive shaft. The truck came with steel wheels with solid rubber tires, which were doubled in the rear. The maximum usable payload was about 4,000 kg.
This behemoth was strong and could do a lot of work without puncturing a tire. That popularity was the reason that no fewer than 4,084 copies were released in Sochaux in four years.
When you think of Sochaux, you think of the Peugeot successes that roll off the production line there. Only the first cars to leave Sochaux’s factory doors were trucks and commercial vehicles. In 1912 Peugeot opened the doors of their new factory in Sochaux and during the war years as many as 6,000 commercial vehicles were produced there, mostly for the French army.
Today, a pre-war truck is a real rarity. If you want to see a nice example of the 1525, you can visit Musee L’Aventure Peugeot.
