Diesel nostalgia
09/16/2021
Modern diesel drivers can hardly imagine what it meant almost 60 years ago to drive a diesel engine of the (almost) first hour. In the Peugeot 403 BD, the modern driver has to relearn.
Simply turning the ignition key is not enough; the engine first needs to be preheated (stage 1) and then started (stage 2) with a pull button. And even turning off the engine requires another pull-button. This is used to interrupt the fuel supply. Before the next restart, the supply must of course be released again. All of this is controlled by the driver, with no help from the electronics. Nevertheless, it works without any problems once you have mastered the steps.
And what else? At 50 km/h you have typically already shifted through all gears (on the steering wheel) and the engine noise is hardly sporty. But the car is very pleasant to drive and wonderfully nostalgic. That's how it should be.
Many of Peugeot's early diesel saloons are unlikely to have survived, so it was a pretty special drive for us too. The detailed report will follow soon ...
