1947 Peugeot 202 Pick Up

This charming vehicle couldn’t be any more Gallic if it was wearing a black polo-neck, smoking a Disque Bleu, carrying a baguette and about to go on strike.  

The vendor bought this Peugeot 202 UH Pickup ('U' signifying a utility model and 'H' hydraulic brakes) from the ‘Provence Collection’ at the Château de Berne, Lorgues, Provence, in 2021.

The vehicle has been laid-up since purchase and will need recommissioning before it can be used. Consequently, we've made no attempt to start, run or drive it.

After recommissioning it will be ready for the recommencement of a partially completed earlier restoration effort.  

Despite its innate and obvious French-ness, we believe the car was originally supplied new to Spain and we know that it had Spanish registration documents when bought by the vendor in 2021.
 

It is a delight to behold, we think, and not least because of its curvaceously sweeping front wings and stylistically streamlined front-end.

We’re also very fond of the idiosyncratic placement of the headlamps behind the front grille – although we imagine we’d be less fond of that feature if ever required to drive the car at night, in fog, on a narrow cliff-top road.

Quelle horreur.

The bodywork is actually pretty straight and true, with no dinks, dents, creases or other significant aberrations in evidence anywhere that we can see.

The only areas that appear to be bucking this trend are the sills beneath the doors, where there is some bubbling and blistering in evidence, along with numerous splits and cracks to the red paint.

Reassuringly, and somewhat surprisingly, the doors to the front cabin open and close with a good deal of precision and certainty.

Elsewhere, the paint varies from good to reasonable, and from poor to bad, depending on where you cast your gaze.

This seems to us to be entirely consistent with its status as a car that has begun a journey to restoration and then pulled up some distance from the finishing post.

The car’s wheels seem decent to us, but we can only assume that the tyres are decidedly long in the tooth.

The brightwork is, variously, shiny, slightly foxed, or more dull than bright – depending on where you look.

The pick-up section of the car is characterised by the extensive use of wood for the sides, tailgate and plank bed.

The wood had shed much of its lacquer on the outward-facing sections and, although the wood seems mostly solid, there are areas of exception to that rule.

The wooden tailgate is rotten in places (you can see this if you look at the inside face) and a section of the interior side planking nearest the driver’s seat is blackened with what may or may not be water damage.

A couple of the planks on the floor of the pick-up have buckled and lifted slightly.  

The canvas hood over the cargo section is also something of a curate’s egg – good in parts, less so in others.

The rear section has come unstitched from the rest of it and would need re-attaching. Also, the fabric has pulled away from several of the fixing eyes.

So, while there are no rips or tears in the main fabric of the cover, it will need either replacing or some remedial attention, the choice no doubt to be determined by relative costs. 
 

Unsurprisingly for a 1947 French pick-up truck, the front cabin is a simple, spartan affair with little in the way of frippery or luxury to distract a fermier, constructeur, plombier or épicier on his way to and from a leisurely déjeuner.

The black vinyl upholstery is in very good order, as is the grey fabric headlining.

The wood-framed windows looking into the rear cargo space are good, as are the door cards.

The steering wheel, gear lever, handbrake and dashboard all look to us to be wholly original and authentic and, as such, they carry signs of their age and use that are commensurate with the vehicle’s long-life.

As we haven’t started or driven the vehicle, we can’t offer any insights into the efficacy or reliability of its buttons, knobs, switches and dials.
 

The engine bay looks clean and dry and, as far as our knowledge of these engine bays extends (not very far), everything appears to be in its right and proper place, including what looks like some original Peugeot badging and labelling.

The undersides appear to be pretty solid and possessed of a decent amount of structural integrity, as far as we can tell. 
 

This Peugeot 202 UH Pick-Up comes with less history than a Legionnaire who’s fallen off his camel, banged his head, and lost his memory.

Its few documents were in the warm embrace of the DVLA, whose officers have this week issued it with its V5 registration document and status.

Just looking at this vehicle like crossing a portal that takes you back to 1947 and a moment in time when Clement Attlee was in Downing Street, all men smoked pipes, all women drank sherry, all dogs were obedient, and almost everyone – man, woman or dog – looked and sounded a bit like Noël Coward.

Only this is a French automobile, so…..just looking at this vehicle is like crossing a portal that takes you back to 1947 and a moment in time when Vincent Auriol was in the Élysée Palace, all men, women and children secretly drank absinthe, all dogs smoked pipes, and almost everyone – homme, femme or chien – looked and sounded a bit like Maurice Chevalier.

It exudes Gallic charm from every pore of its 78-year-old body and is, we think, fully deserving of the time and attention needed to get it into the best possible version of itself.

Nous l'aimons beaucoup.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £4,000 - £6,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.