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. History The 403 debuted as a sedan/saloon on 20 April 1955 at the Trocadéro Palace in Paris. For several months before it was launched, numerous 403s, their badges removed, were driving on the roads near the manufacturer's Sochaux factory. They became so familiar that the locals no longer noticed them, but attracted the Paris motoring press to a town usually of little interest to the national media. The TN3 engine size gave the car a "tax horsepower" of 8 CV, which placed it a class below the soon-to-be-replaced 11 CV Citroën Traction, but at least one class above the small cars produced by the principal competitor manufacturers. When it was first shown, and until after 1958, the leading edge of car's nose carried an angular, forward-leaning chrome lion bonnet ornament – as Peugeot's trade mark. That was removed for 1959, due to safety concerns, and the logo was incorporated into a shield-shaped grill emblem. Subsequently the semaphore-style trafficators on the C-pillars were replaced with flashing indicators within the light cluster. The front lights were modified to conform to new standards and in 1957 parallel windscreen wipers were substituted for the original "cross hands" design featured at launch. Although, the car was subject to numerous improvements during production, mostly minor. Improvements for 1959, included moving the nozzles for the windscreen washer from the strip of metal between the base of the windscreen and the bonnet/hood a short distance to the rear edge of the bonnet/hood itself. This was also the year the semi-circular ring inside the lower half of the steering wheel operating the horn was replaced by a full circular horn-ring. Design Styled by Pinin Farina, the 403 featured ponton, three-box styling incorporating, except on the most basic models, a metal sunroof. The collaboration with PininFarina marked the start of a partnership which would see the Italian designer producing designs for Peugeot, including those many mainstream volume models, for more than fifty years. Regarding the 403 itself there were persistent rumours that the design was one originally intended for a replacement Fiat 1900 which had been rejected when Turin had decided to defer replacement of the Fiat for another