Australia could be the ideal country for a Peugeot. The distances between the cities and the dimensions of this island are large enough to cover quite a few miles. Moreover, the rust devil does not really get the chance in this usually dry climate and that is a good thing. This continent therefore has a club of owners with a well-preserved classic Peugeot. One of those avid owners is Colin Handley. He owns no less than 2 cars of the type 203 “panel van”. The car in this article has been completely restored. The 203 has not driven many miles. The car has still driven less than 35,000 miles with different owners. The sticker on the windshield indicates “next service at 35,000 miles” and is still in effect. The 203 has hardly had any maintenance either, it was more tinkering. Despite that, the car shifted like new! When Colin got possession of the 203, it was completely stripped and restored. The original black paint on the bottom of the car was still intact! Many European classic owners would dream of such a climate! After the restoration, the 203 “panel” from Down Under has started a second life, as a showpiece!
Soon the second restoration project presented itself to Colin. Even now it was the same copy, but it was literally dumped after the car was parked under a tree for years. The reason this car was dumped was because of the practicality that such a 203 “panel van” brings and that it can easily be used for a variety of purposes. The previous owners, a few friends, who had supposedly bought the car to go fishing turned out to have nefarious plans for the 203. While the wives of these gentlemen thought that the car was used for fishing, the truth turned out to be different. Instead of fishing, the gentlemen had angled a few (other) nice ladies into the car. After some time the motley group was caught and the gentlemen, on orders from their wives, had to give up the car without being allowed to ask any money.
