Peugeot was still suffering from the financial woes inflicted upon it by World War One, so to increase sales, they made several strategic decisions including designing a cyclecar to accommodate France's lowest 100 Francs per annum tax bracket. It was introduced in 1920 at the Brussels Salon and dubbed the Type 161 (and more commonly known as the Quadrilette), it weighed less than 350kg and was powered by a water-cooled 667cc side-valve four-cylinder engine backed by a three-speed transaxle. It had a leaf-sprung suspension and rear-wheel brakes. This utilitarian vehicle appealed to a similar market as the Austin 7 in Britain. To accommodate more interior space for luggage and people, the wider tracked Type 172 arrived in 1923. While the Quadrilettes had tandem seating, the Type 172 had two abreast seating. Among the rarest Quadrilette variants, the Type 172 BS or Grand Sport was powered by an enlarged 720cc engine. They were offered only for 1972, with 100 examples of the 172 BS Grand Sport produced.

Peugeot unveiled its Type 174 at the Paris Motor Show in October of 1924. Its quiet sleeve valve or valveless engine delivered 85 horsepower and offered a top speed of over 100 mph. There was a four-speed manual gearbox, four-wheel drum brakes, a solid front axle and live rear axle, with Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs and Hartford Shock Absorbers all round.

Peugeot built 810 examples of the Type 174 (T-174) between 1924 and 1928, with 208 of those being upgraded to the sport version, known as the T-174 S, which earned numerous competition events during the mid-1920s.

by Dan Vaughan