2retro
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Peugeot’s three-digit nameplates
Peugeot began using three-digit nameplates with a zero in the middle when it introduced the 201 in 1929. The model was quickly joined in showrooms by three additional new cars named 301, 401 and 601, respectively. On some of them, the emblem was placed on the bottom part of the grille and the zero doubled as the hole for the crank. It was a clever solution that designers were proud of so Peugeot continued using it.
The three-digit naming system outlived the crank. The numbers stopped evolving in 2012; the 208 will be replaced by another 208, not by a 209.
Peugeot has occasionally made an exception to its rule for models like the P4 and the RCZ. In 2018, the firm uses two zeros to denote SUVs like the 3008.
Flashbulbs popped as Porsche introduced the brand-new 901 at the 1963 Frankfurt auto show. Sleek and powerful, the 356’s long-awaited successor made headlines all around the world but it caught the attention of Peugeot for a completely different reason.
The French firm swiftly reminded Porsche that it owned the rights to every three-digit car nameplate with a zero in the middle. And, though it didn’t plan on releasing a model named 901 and it certainly had no intention of building a rear-engined sports car, it wasn’t about to let Porsche get away with trademark infringement.
Porsche replaced the zero with a one to create the 911.
Peugeot began using three-digit nameplates with a zero in the middle when it introduced the 201 in 1929. The model was quickly joined in showrooms by three additional new cars named 301, 401 and 601, respectively. On some of them, the emblem was placed on the bottom part of the grille and the zero doubled as the hole for the crank. It was a clever solution that designers were proud of so Peugeot continued using it.
The three-digit naming system outlived the crank. The numbers stopped evolving in 2012; the 208 will be replaced by another 208, not by a 209.
Peugeot has occasionally made an exception to its rule for models like the P4 and the RCZ. In 2018, the firm uses two zeros to denote SUVs like the 3008.
Flashbulbs popped as Porsche introduced the brand-new 901 at the 1963 Frankfurt auto show. Sleek and powerful, the 356’s long-awaited successor made headlines all around the world but it caught the attention of Peugeot for a completely different reason.
The French firm swiftly reminded Porsche that it owned the rights to every three-digit car nameplate with a zero in the middle. And, though it didn’t plan on releasing a model named 901 and it certainly had no intention of building a rear-engined sports car, it wasn’t about to let Porsche get away with trademark infringement.
Porsche replaced the zero with a one to create the 911.
