Peugeot 604 (1981) – Enthusiast Wanted

The Citroën CX, XM and C6 all appeal to the imagination with their special lines and suspension. Peugeot took a more conservative approach with the 604, 605 and 607, but that was an approach that paid off, especially with the first two. Certainly the Peugeot 604 was in a sense almost a bit un-French, not only because of the angular design, but certainly because of its handling. Confidence-inspiring in a way that you would rather expect from a German competitor, but with the hefty dose of comfort for which the French were known.

The 604 was a very serious attempt by Peugeot to challenge the benchmark, the Mercedes-Benz S-class. Unfortunately, the 604 had an important Achilles heel: its petrol engine. The PRV-V6, an engine that resulted from a collaboration between Peugeot and Renault and that Volvo later joined, was originally developed as a V8. This is evident, among other things, from the angle in which the cylinder banks are in relation to each other, 90 degrees instead of the more usual 60 degrees for a V6. Furthermore, the PRV engine had an uneven firing order for a long time. The result was a somewhat raw running power source that lacked a bit of the refinement you would expect in such a top model.

Turbo diesel engines were also available in the 604, with which the sturdy Frenchman was very early. In fact, the 604 was the first model with a turbo diesel engine on the European market. The copy we have here in front of us has the mentioned V6 on board. The 2.8 to be exact, there was also a 2.7. In this case, the 155 hp V6 is linked to a four-speed automatic transmission, you could also order the 604 with a manual gearbox. It can all be operated from a typical colored interior for that time. Brown and beige predominate, although this copy still looks fresh. Certainly the velor upholstery looks neat and that is quite a compliment after more than 41 years. The 604 has not traveled very many kilometers: 102,156 km. The question remains whether those kilometers are hard to make. After all, the car only came to the Netherlands in 2002 and has had a fairly turbulent ownership history ever since. No less than nine private individuals owned it, the last of which sold it at the end of December after only two months.

What this 604 deserves is someone willing to stick with it a little longer. Based on the photos it looks like a neat looking car. The technical condition is a somewhat bigger question mark and you also have to be aware of rust with 604s. The asking price is €7,500 and that seems quite reasonable, provided that the classic turns out to be just as good as the pictures suggest.