Now here’s a car which ought to appeal to Hoons on either side of the Atlantic. Indeed, one which is probably somehow more revered in the USA than it is in the UK.
The Peugeot 504 is one of the more iconic shapes ever to have emerged from the nominally dull-as-dishwater category of “ordinary family sedan”, although that would probably be to undersell it somewhat. Plaudits rained down on the 504 from launch in ’68 right up to now, and with have been as important to the development of Africa as the Industrial Revolution was to the development of England, the Peugeot isn’t in danger of being culturally forgotten any time soon.
Still, having a 1:18 copy handy for safe keeping won’t do anybody any harm.

Click the images to kick tyres

The 504 was brilliant; it’s a recognised fact. Aesthetically, mechanically and materially it was easily the equal of anything else at its price-point or, in fact, quite some way beyond.
It was also the car which forged Peugeot’s modern image, the first to adopt the trapezoidal headlamp design which would become a corporate trademark for the next forty years or so, and it also gave rise to a sensational looking convertible and coupé. And fuel injection at a point when the most expensive British cars were still sucking fuel using air pressure alone.
A car as notable as this deserves a model of decent fidelity. So here it is.

This is one of the ever-improving Welly range which covers cars as diverse as Lamborghinis and Mustang SVOs. They’re still, technically, within budget model territory, which makes them very welcome to join my collection, and as we’ve seen quite a lot in Diecast Delights, you can get quite a bang for your budget buck.
I can’t heavily criticise the casting of the 504, bar for a little flashing underneath the rocker panels and some slight wobbliness around the windshield frame.

The trailing edges of the front doors (the rear two are sealed) are slightly rough, but this doesn’t jump out at you and the shut lines of the bonnet are a little uneven. Also the bootlid doesn’t quite close square unless you force it (after which it looks fine). Details like the door handles are separately applied and the tampoed Peugeot, 504 and GL logos are precisely printed. A well-detailed golden Lion Rampant proudly adorns the grille, which is flanked by a pair of nicely modelled headlamps which actually make a feature of the mounting spigot.

Out back there’s a correctly corrugated boot floor and seatback with realistic pressings simulated. The bootlid opens on slightly crude doglegs.

Things are more interesting under the bonnet, where, although it’s mostly made from oily black plastic there’s actually far more detail on closer inspection than at first glance; and it can be appreciated from underneath, too. You can identify battery, brake master cylinder, air-box, induction manifold, exhaust manifold, radiator (and cap), suspension top-mounts, alternator and belt, and probably more besides.

The side windows are glazed which makes opening the doors tricky but adds to realism. The interior is very good; I was pleased to note the inclusion of a headlining with sun-visors and not just bare metal. The metallic styling on the otherwise dour, black dashboard is well applied, as is the tiny 504 logo. The radio is separately detailed in silver and the instrument cluster adequately finished. There’s no carpet, but that hardly detracts, does it?
Overall it’s another great model and one which is well worth having if you’ve ever owned a 504, known anybody who has, or live on the same planet where 504s roam free.
(All images copyright Chris Haining / Hooniverse 2016)