90 years of 402 - from 1935 to 2025 „Fuseau de Sochaux“!

The 402 was introduced to the general public on October 3, 1935, at the Paris Motor Show as the successor to the 401 and received widespread attention.

The revolutionary feature was the running-board-free streamlined body with the arrangement of the headlights behind the radiator grille and the fully covered rear wheels for aerodynamic reasons.

Due to its avant-garde design, the Peugeot 402 was also called "Ligne Fuseau Sochaux," which can be translated as "Spindle Shape from Sochaux."

However, the PEUGEOT plant in Sochaux did not only produce a visually modern car; the 402 also brought a range of technical innovations: all-steel body, suspension supported by oil shock absorbers, a 12-volt electrical system, safety pin locks, and retractable door handles.

An electromagnetic four-speed Cotal gearbox (10% of all 402s were delivered with it)

Heating system (which was not standard in the 1930s)

Philips 246B radio (PEUGEOT was one of the first manufacturers to offer a radio for cars)

    TARIF 1935

Thanks to its body with a rear wing, developed in a wind tunnel, the vehicle achieved an impressive drag coefficient (cW) of only 0.38 (the series sedan had a value of 0.68).

In France, a better cW value was not achieved until 1955 - 0.36 by the Citroen DS.

There is evidence that at least 2 further examples (N4X) with a 4-cylinder engine were produced for research purposes. Some sources indicate higher numbers.

Thanks to the favorable drag coefficient, the Andreau N4X, with an unchanged standard engine, reached a top speed of 150 km/h and at the same time reduced fuel consumption by 30 percent.

The Second World War put an end to all visions of the "Andreau" model and also to the series development of an 8-cylinder engine.

    TARIF 1936

Coach (W4) 2 doors

    TARIF 1937

For the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1937, Émile Darl’mat, with PEUGEOT's permission, constructed three racing cars based on the Peugeot 302 chassis with a 1,991 ccm engine from the 402.

The three racing cars were traveling at speeds of up to 170 km/h and finished 7th, 8th and 10th overall!

In 1938, the drivers Cortanze & Contet even secured 1st place in the 2-liter class and 5th place overall. Unfortunately, two other Darl’mat vehicles dropped out that year.

   TARIF 1938

    TARIF 1939

Later, the 402B Légère appeared on the 302 chassis with a significantly modified body, a one-piece windshield, and a reduced passenger compartment derived from the Peugeot 202.

In its last version in 1939 the Peugeot 402B Légère (N5S) reached a top speed of 140 km/h by reducing its weight to 1068 kg.

Due to the outbreak of the Second World War, the diesel does not go into series production - only a few saloons and commercial vehicles are delivered with diesel engines.

    TARIF 1940

The entire 402 production was discontinued in 1942 - a total of 75,068 units were produced.