L’Aventure Peugeot Museum, Sochaux, France
Until September 22nd, 2024
With the “Peugeot Style & Design” exhibition, the Aventure Peugeot Museum aims to retrace 120 years of automotive design history from the Lion Brand. From its origins to the present day, visitors are offered a resolutely forward-looking adventure. When we talk about Design and Style in the automotive industry, we obviously think of concept cars, those prototypes presented at major trade shows or events, and intended to test the reactions of the public, to launch new ideas or to define the new style of a brand. If a concept car rarely goes into production (and often unfortunately because they seduce the public), we find ideas or parts of it in future production models. This exceptional retrospective, with the presentation of some thirty Peugeot vehicles rarely shown (or even never unveiled for some) will occupy many areas of the Aventure Peugeot Museum.
Upon entering, visitors will be greeted by Quartz and Exalt, two concept cars from 2014, then by Bobslid, E-doll, and Vroomster, three funny vehicles from the “City Toyz” collection (2000) evoking the pleasure of driving in an urban environment. In the areas dedicated to the beginnings of the Peugeot automobile, you will discover where the names of the bodies come from: vis-à-vis, torpedo, sedan, limousine, coupé… While some explanations seem logical, others are more surprising. An important place is devoted to the history of the Peugeot Style department with Henri Thomas, creator of the “Fuseau de Sochaux” line, or Jean Andreau, an aerodynamic engineer who proposed in 1936 with the 402 “Andreau” his interpretation of the ideal scientific bodywork.
The exhibition evokes several designers who have left their mark on the world of automotive design, and that of Peugeot in particular: Paul Bouvot (head of the Style of the Lion brand from 1957 to 1977), Pinin Farina (at the origin of the famous Italian design company Pininfarina (with, for example, the Peugette and the never revealed Griffe4 concept), and then Gérard Welter who succeeded to Paul Bouvot at the head of Peugeot Style. Gérard Welter is the “father” of Quasar, the first true concept car of the Peugeot brand. Other concepts from the “Welter” years will be exhibited at the Museum such as Proxima, Ion, Asphalte, Escapade, Coupé Z9 and Elixir… A link is also made between certain concepts and the models that inspired them, such as 20Coeur (206 CC) exhibited next to the 401 Eclipse (the first convertible Peugeot coupé vehicle) and the 204 Urban Distinctive convertible alongside the 204.
Design has also left its mark in competition, with examples in the “lioness pit” the 404 des Records as well as the WM Le Mans designed by Gérard Welter. The world of utility vehicles will not be forgotten, with the “Bistrot du Lion”, a 2015 foodtruck concept whose objective is to put design at the service of the senses! At the end of the visit, to close this exceptional exhibition in style, the entire Onyx collection is brought together (two cars, a scooter and a bicycle) as well as two never-before-seen concepts: the Peugeot RCZ Cabriolet and 208 Cabriolet! Numerous archive documents and previously unpublished images complete the decoration of the exhibition. No doubt many visitors will wonder why some of these models never made it through the dealerships!
Photos on this page belong to L’Aventure Peugeot Museum or to Christian NIEF, no right of reproduction without the express permission of the owners.