End Of The Road.

A car fan likes to think that there's hope for all old, abandonded automobiles, but at a certain point they're just too far gone to save. That is the case of this tired, sad, ventilated Peugeot 204 I saw this past weekend. It was parked off to the side of the road near where I live, and I stopped to take a peek.

I may be an optimistic guy, and a softie for old cars, but even I have to admit that this one had kicked the rusty old bucket. The 204 is a favourite of mine; it was available in coupe, convertible, wagon, and sedan versions, like this example. Produced between 1965 and 1976, it was wildly popular in Europe, selling over 1.6 million copies in its lifetime. Rather progressive for its time, it had a transversally-mounted FWD drivetrain, front disc brakes, and 4-wheel independant suspension. That might be common today, but for the era, the 204 was a rather advanced car.

As with any car, time takes its toll, and this one appears to have spent at least the last few years sitting in a field somewhere. Every single body panel was heavily rusted, along with the chassis and suspension bits. The motor was still in place, and appeared more or less intact, but most of the interior had been stripped out. The tires were torn, the chrome trim was tarnished, and the hood and headlights were missing. This car had one trip left to take, but sadly, it was out behind the shed (or wrecking yard) to be put out of its misery...

The following day I drove by and it had been hauled up onto a flatbed tow-truck, and the next morning it was gone. If there's a car heaven, this 204 is certainly enjoying a dip into an anti-corrosion bath and a little TLC!