Peugeot 202 and 203 and AMC Eagle – Into the Wild

We take our hats off to forum member SVF who shared these photos in the spotter thread. Three rare classics in one fell swoop, each of which would actually be worth its own article, chapeau! Which of the three would we put on top? Just dare to make a choice. Let’s go from old to ‘new’.

Peugeot 202

In the middle is the oldest of the three, the Peugeot 202. By now a real classic that you would rather expect in a garage or a museum than just parked on the side of the road. This one also dates from 1938 and that makes it extra special. After all, the 202 was built in two batches; before and at the start of the war (1938 to 1942) and after (1945 to 1948). So we are dealing here with one of the oldest 202s. It’s a characteristic thing to see, about 202, with its headlights hidden behind the grille. A design element that he took over from bigger and older brother 302 and which at the time ensured that you could recognize a Peugeot from afar. The compact 85-year-old Frenchman has been camping in the Netherlands since 1991, since 2021 with his current owner.

Peugeot 203 Fourgonette

The 202 is facing its successor, the 203. In this case a 1958 Fourgonnette, the order version. As you can see at a glance from these photos, the Peugeot 203 was quite a modern appearance after the 202. It was also Peugeot’s first post-war design, so the 203 ushered in a new era for the brand. There are several contemporaries that look a bit like the 203 and vice versa. Think for example of the Volvo PV444, the Ford V8 and Chevrolet Fleetline. Especially the PV444 and the 203 are often compared because of their ‘cat’s back’, although we do not see that on this Fourgonnette. This also imported Peugeot is undoubtedly owned by the same owner as the 202.

AMC Eagle

With three classics in a row, you quickly think that they all belong to the same owner, although in this case that would mean that the person has a rather different taste. After all, the AMC Eagle is not at all like the other two. If we have to mention an important similarity: it is also extremely rare in the Netherlands. There are almost certainly more Peugeot 203s in our country than AMC’s Eagle and we also have it in this section for the first time.

The AMC Eagle may not be as striking as the AMC Pacer, but it was still quite a creative splurge from AMC. After all, the Eagle is a crossover avant la letter. In this case we have a Wagon in front of us and it doesn’t look that crazy at all, but you had the high on its legs and always four-wheel drive Eagle also as a sedan, hatchback and even as a coupe and two-door convertible. A case of ‘ahead of its time’, but unfortunately for AMC, the Eagle could not prevent the ailing AMC from being absorbed by Chrysler in 1987. In any case, as far as we are concerned, it is a pioneer that deserves to be cherished. We love to see one in the Netherlands!