A gray Peugeot 505 SX, seen in central Beijing. The pretty French sedan was in a pretty good shape and entirely original. Even the antenna seemed the real thing!
The China-made Peugeot 505 was manufactured from 1990 to 1997 by the Guangzhou-Peugeot joint venture. The company was founded in 1985, which made Peugeot one of the first foreign car brands to enter the Chinese market.
Sales were brisk in the beginning but the good times ended in 1997 when the joint venture was disbanded after disagreements between the partners over new investments.
In those 12 years the joint venture only manufactured three vehicles: the 505 sedan, the 505 wagon, and the 504 pickup truck.
On the fender: 2.0 Guangzhou Peugeot (广州标致). Note the factory-original mud flaps with the Peugeot logo!
Darkened windows are after-market but the spoiler was standard on the SX model. The 505 was powered by a 2.0 liter four-cylinder petrol engine with 105hp, good for a claimed top speed of 167km/h and a 0-100 in 14 seconds.
The gray striped padding between the lights is was standard too. Peugeot badge on the left. Guangzhou-Peugeot badge on the right. The ‘505 SX’ badge is sadly missing.
The left-rear light needs replacement. Finding parts for these old Peugeots is very hard. When the joint venture ended there wasn’t any agreement on parts supply, and Guangzhou-Peugeot dealers soon stopped service.
This is one of the reasons why very few 505’s survive today. The other reason is the environment; the 505 has no chance of passing the latest emissions tests so many have been scrapped.
A sad end for a great car. Let’s hope our 京N·30952 stays alive for a few years or decades more.
[table id=230 /]