The Pininfarina styled Peugeot 404 was launched in 1960 and by 1964 it was available with 4 different body styles and a 63hp diesel engine option.

In 1965 Peugeot built today’s featured single seat 2163 cc / 130 cui 4 cylinder diesel powered 404 prototype to help publicise the capabilities of the at the time relatively under used, outside the commercial vehicle arena, alternative to petrol.

In June 1965 Peugeot took the car to Montlhery outside Paris and set a new 5,000 km / 3106 mile diesel record by averaging 99 mph.

One month later the motor was replaced with a smaller 1,948 cc / 118 cui 4 cylinder diesel and the car was driven at an average speed of 100 mph for 11,000 km / 6,835 miles around Montlhery, in all the record breaking car captured 40 world diesel records.

A 1965 group test of diesel powered cars from Peugeot, Mercedes Benz and Austin showed the 63hp diesel Peugeot comfortably out performed it’s competitors in every area except fuel consumption at which the Austin was the more miserly.

The 404 Diesel which still belongs to Peugeot is seen in these photographs at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Thanks for joining me on this “Diesel Record Breaker” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at all 11 Super Saturday winners at this years Silver Jubilee Silverstone Classic. Don’t forget to come back now !