Peugeot 405, also classic

The 504 now has its classic status. But for his mirror-image family member, the 405 is still under the radar.

Signed by Pinifarina

The first sketches for the car that had to fill the gap between 309 and 505 were already on paper from Pininfarina in the autumn of 1982 - yes they did then! - put. The D60 project, which would later become the 405, would become a conventional 'three box' model. The further development strategy was determined at the start of 1983. Peugeot was on its way to 'the ideal mid-sized car' and in the summer of 1983 it became clear what it would look like.

In 1988 the Peugeot 405 Car of the Year was in Europe and in 1993 an extensive facelift followed. The top model from before the facelift, the 405 MI-16 X4 with permanent four-wheel drive, came on the market in 1990.

The voice of consumers

And that was a matter in which consumers were already involved. Because at the end of 1980, Peugeot had devised a 'consumer contact' department. And that department was involved from the very beginning in the development of what the Peugeot 405 would be.

The technology first

In the Peugeot test center, Belchamps, the Peugeot 405 was created as a 'mulet', 'mule. A mule is a cross between a horse mare and a donkey stallion. When it comes to a cross between a horse stallion and a donkey mare, it is also referred to as a mule. Mules and hinnies are sterile. But that aside.

In the context of the new Peugeot to be developed, the purity link was that the technology devised for the newcomer was first tried out in existing models. Only then prototypes were made.

The 405 was not just sent off the road

Before production began, eleven mules were worn out and around eighty prototypes were made. And all of this to get the best possible production of the best possible product. In that context it was also appropriate to find out which engines came out best in terms of emissions and performance. And of course there was also a lot of thought about maintenance and repair friendliness.

Remote controlled

Nowadays a lot of testing is done digitally. But at the time a lot of traditional fieldwork was still being done. But again in a then modern way. At Belchamps, Peugeot 405s in the making were already running remote-controlled driverless cars. On the test track they trotted children's heads, vowels and asphalt to test the integrity of the bodywork and the strength of the wheel suspension and transmission. Outside of those obligatory laps, the bodywork received a lot of attention in the wind tunnel. And because this was a real French automobile again, comfort was also closely monitored.

Tested in extremes

The French also sent their youngest ideas to the most hot and cold regions to see how heating and ventilation would be under extreme conditions. Before the case got the green light, the prototypes had driven 1.500.000 km.

Elegant and stylish

The result was a fantastic middle class that also looked elegant and stylish. And the involvement of the consumer association was taken to heart. Only the loading side of the trunk was annoyingly high. But that wasn't a harassment. The Peugeot technicians stated that the construction was necessary due to the rigidity of the body. All's well that ends well.

You already have a Peugeot 405 from a few hundred euros. And you are already driving a Peugeot 405 from such an 1.000 euro