page_title: Peugeot 304
section_title: The body
hierarchical_section_title: Peugeot 304 / The body
caption_attribution_description: KZ8887 These have an uncanny resemblance to the Austin Maxi from the rear, mainly thanks to those rear lights which appear to be exactly the same as the ones on Maxis. I've always found the number plate position on these slightly strange, and I think it would work better in the centre like it is on the Maxi.
context_page_description: The Peugeot 304 is a small family car which was produced by the French manufacturer Peugeot from 1969 to 1980.
  The 304 was introduced to the public at the Paris Motor Show in September 1969. Production of the saloon/sedan on the Sochaux assembly lines was discontinued during the summer of 1979, while the "Break" was produced until the spring of 1980.
  Peugeot, which had always been a financially prudent company, saw a gap in the midsize car market in France, Italy and the rest of Western Europe. By using the smaller 204's midsection, development costs were minimized resulting in a higher profit margin because of the higher pricing structure in the larger, better equipped market. The 304's main competitors on its home market came from Renault and Simca, with Citroen noticeably absent from this sector at the launch. The 304 was a success for Peugeot and was noted for several advanced features under its Pininfarina styled exterior. With its independent suspended front-wheel-drive drivetrain and disc brakes, it rode and handled better than most of its contemporaries, including some cars in higher price brackets.
context_section_description: The 304 was designed to slot between the popular 204 and the recently introduced Peugeot 504. Since the 204 had an exceptionally spacious passenger cabin for its class, the 304 body used the central portion of the 204: engine and running gear components were mostly interchangeable between the two cars. However, the 304 had a restyled front grill and headlights, designed consciously to emulate the 504 which had received a generally positive response from the market place.
  More substantial differences occurred at the rear of the saloon, where overhang on the 304 was 13.5 cm (5.5 inches) longer than on the 204: this allowed for a larger boot/trunk. However, estate and two-door versions shared their (shorter) rear ends with corresponding models in the 204 range. Coupé and cabriolet versions replaced their 204 forerunners in March 1970, being the first models to receive the "S" version of the engine two years later in March 1972. However, the cabriolet and coupé 304s were withdrawn from the market, without direct replacements, respectively in July 1972 and August 1973. The fourgonette (van) version of the 304 appeared only in September 1977, as a belated replacement for the 204 fourgonette which had disappeared from the production lines the previous year.
  The 304 changed little during a model life exceeding ten years. From the outside, the saloon received a simplified rear light cluster design in September 1972, and the Peugeot badge appearing on the front grille was now took on a gold coloured solid form in place of the silver/grey coloured outline badge that the car had worn hitherto. The roof line of the saloon was discreetly squared off to give greater headroom for rear passengers: the window frames on the rear doors were modified correspondingly, adding about and inch and a half to their rearmost upper edge and making them unique to the 304, while the car's front doors remained interchangeable with those on the 204. Changes under the metal included the replacement of the dynamo with an alternator in 1971 and the fitting of wider tyres in 1974. The hydraulically operated clutch was replaced with a cable operated mechanism in 1977.
caption: Peugeot 304 break
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