Peugeot does not build many cars like the Peugeot 403: a 4-door saloon / 5-door estate / 2-door convertible (1956–1961) / 2-door pickup / 3-door van with 1290 cc TM5 Straight-four engine, built from 1955 to 1966 at the height of the post-war boom. Its designer of record is Pininfarina.
Where it came from
The Peugeot 403 is a mid-size car manufactured and marketed by Peugeot between May 1955 and October 1966. A total of 1,214,121 of all types, including commercial models, were produced, making it the first Peugeot to exceed one million in sales.
Under the skin
Under the skin sits 1290 cc TM5 Straight-four engine; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. Kerb weight is 1080 kg. The gearbox is a 4-speed manual. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 2660 mm saloon / 2900 mm estate. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
Where it sits in Peugeot's history is not in doubt: the Peugeot 203 / Peugeot 402 came before it; the Peugeot 404 followed it; it was built at Sochaux. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Mercedes-Benz 300 SL, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the Chevrolet Corvette. Nearby in the Peugeot catalogue sit the Peugeot Onyx and the Peugeot Pars.
The money
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Peugeot 403 has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.