Indeed, Richard, some very unexpected weakness unveiled in your collection!

I will re-post a picture of my short-stay example, for the record. 

Remarkable that this model does not have the white tyres so familiar with its contemporaries. 

Possibly, not being a saloon or convertible, it was considered to be a kind of commercial vehicle.

Kind regards, Jan 

Another quickly translated draught text for a newly acquired Familiale 403 Peugeot (a higher quality example than the one above, which had a very short stay in the collection), bound to be included in my private Dinky catalogue. Anyone is very welcome to comment with corrections, additions etc. in order to improve the contents.

The French will hardly use the American word ‘station wagon’ or ‘estate car’ for this type of car. They called the small load carrying version Peugeot a ‘Limousine commerciale luxe’ and the passenger transport version, this Dinky model, a ‘Familiale’. In the catalogues and on the box the model is called ‘Familiale 403 Peugeot’, however, embossed in the model’s base plate it says ‘403 Peugeot U5’.

This Peugeot station wagon was introduced in Meccano Magazine of June 1958, together with the yellow road roller, Rouleau compresseur Richier, no. 90a. It was probably the last Dinky Toy issued in the 24 series that never in its life got plastic windows, even though it remained in the French catalogues until 1962, and was still listed in the Dutch Dinky Toys catalogue as late as 1963. However, the saloon counterpart, Berline 403 Peugeot (no. 24b / 521, 1956-1961), was fitted with windows in the final period of its availability.

The scale of the model is 1/43. It is beautiful in its smooth simplicity, just like the actual car. Because this model was relatively ‘new’ in the 24 series it is always found with a squared inside roof. Similarly, the base plate is always glossy black and there is always a crescent recess at the rear, for hooking up a caravan. This is different from the two-year older saloon, which initially lacked such a recess. At the rear the base plate is inserted into the body of the Familiale in a rather peculiar way, two tabs protruding through a couple of flat slots just above the rear bumper. This obviously avoided the necessity of an ugly, thick pillar in the transparent back of the model (as is the case with some buses, for example) in order to rivet the base plate over there. Because of the higher position of the rear registration plate, the elegant solution of, for example, the English Estate Car, No. 27f / 344, was no option. There, the bent down tab of the base plate does clamp into the casting, while at the same time credibly representing a registration plate.

The cast number 403 on the nose of the bonnet shows how much richness in detail was pursued by the manufacturer. At the same time it is also obvious how crude, coarse and uneven some other details and lines are in that very area because the casting process has not worked perfectly. For models of this generation, deepened lines are often partially silted up, as is also clearly visible looking at the recessed door contours. Admittedly, the French were the first to introduce this more realistic representation of seams around doors, bonnet covers etc., but it took quite some effort to have a perfect, clean result.

Unlike all other French models of passenger cars of this period, the tyres of the Familiale are in majority black. Only the final models, numbered 525, may show white tyres, conform the picture in the 1960s catalogues. The very first image in the 1958 catalogue also shows white tyres, but that version, in black, has never been available at all. The images on the box and in / on the back cover of the June 1958 Meccano Magazine show a correct representation of the light blue model with its black tyres. The light blue body can have two slightly varying shades: greyish blue or lavender blue. Red is extremely rare, the ones finished in red do belong to a very early and very limited batch – probably not exceeding a hundred copies – offered to members of the Dinky Toys Club of Lyon, when on visit in the Meccano factory in Bobigny on 31 March 1958. The red ones flooding the market nowadays are Atlas replicas. They can easily be recognized by their extremely smooth finish, and the larger box lacking the Meccano wording on the end flaps.

The first version always has the early convex wheels, two tiny rear bumper stops, black tyres and one of the the two shades of light blue. The second has (rather) smooth rear bumpers, the bumper stops removed. The third version, no. 525 only, has concave, hollow wheels, is painted greyish-blue only and the later ones may have white tyres, as discussed above. The rear lights are always marked red. In fact, substantial variations of this model are limited.

After the renumbering in 1959, the number 24F on the box was replaced by 525. A new number 525 embossed in the base plate does not exist, in my opinion.

The box text says something about the actual Familiale:

‘La familiale 403 Peugeot transporte confortablement toute une famille grâce à ses 7/8 places. Elle est équipée d’un moteur 4 cylindres en ligne de 1468 cm3 de cylindrée développant 58 chevaux pour une puissance fiscale de 8 CV. La vitesse maximum est de 125 km/h et sa consommation de 11 litres aux 100 km à 65 km/h de moyenne’. [The Familiale 403 Peugeot transports comfortably a whole family thanks to its 7/8 places. It is equipped with a 4 cylinders engine in line of 1468 cm3 capacity, developing 58 hp for a fiscal power of 8 hp. The maximum speed is 125 km/h and its consumption is 11 liters per 100 km at an average speed of 65 km/h].

Between 1956 and 1962, Peugeot produced nearly 35,000 cars of this type.

Thank you, Richard, if an expert like you does not disagree - which I'm quite happy with - I can easily go on adding this piece to my catalogue records. Still, any additions, facts, opinions, always welcome and appreciated, it's a continuous process of improvement - both here on the website and in my private catalogue! Kind regards, Jan