Peugeot VSP
| Peugeot | |
|---|---|
| Image does not exist |
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| VSP (also called 203R, 203RA and 203RB) | |
| Production period: | 1950-1957 |
| Class : | Off-road vehicle |
| Body versions : | Kübelwagen |
| Engines: |
Petrol engine : 1.3–1.5 liters (33–48 kW) |
| Length: | 3450 mm |
| Width: | 1640 mm |
| Height: | 1560-1670 mm |
| Wheelbase : | 2057-2100 mm |
| Empty weight : | 1100 kg |
| Previous model | none |
| successor | none |
The Peugeot VSP also Peugeot 203R , 203RA and 203RB is an off-road vehicle developed in the 1950s by the French car manufacturer Peugeot for agricultural use and as a military vehicle for the French armed forces , but which was ultimately not put into service by them.
description
The Peugeot VSP is a light, all - wheel drive off - road vehicle . Its design largely follows the model of the jeep used by the Allies in World War II . With a ladder frame and two rigid axles suspended from leaf springs , it is conventional like the Jeep. The four-cylinder - spark-ignition engine with overhead, overhead valves and side chain-driven camshaft is the front, the four-speed transmission, and the indicating attracted thereto two-stage distribution and reduction gear are installed in the center. The rear wheels are driven via a cardan shaft and a Peugeot-typical worm gear in the differential housing of the rear axle, while the front axle drive, which is also equipped with a worm gear, and the off-road reduction can be switched on by the driver using two shift levers located on the transmission tunnel. For driving the transmission devices has a power take-off . The sheet steel body is open, cut out on the sides, without doors, has four seats and a removable fabric top. The windshield can be folded forward onto the bonnet. Spare canister and spare wheel are mounted on the outside of the body at the rear. The NATO trailer hitch is also located at the rear of the vehicle . The engine, clutch, gearbox, rear axle and steering come from the Peugeot 203 .
history
The VSP was initially called the Peugeot 203R . The number sequence 203 was given to the vehicle because the robust 1.3-liter engine, the clutch, the transmission, the rear axle, the steering and some other parts, such as the dashboard instruments , came from the Peugeot 203 . The R stood for reconnaissance (German: Enlightenment or exploration).
In 1950 the first prototypes were built and an application for approval as an agricultural vehicle was made. Since the French military was still equipped with Willys MB and Ford GP from US war stocks , the French state was looking for a modern successor for these vehicles. Therefore, one of the prototypes was handed over to the army for test purposes, but rejected by them because of the weak engine. Although Peugeot was initially not very interested in a government contract due to the good capacity utilization of its plants at the time, in the following year two models called 203RA were equipped with the more powerful 1.5-liter engine of the 403 sedan , but they also failed to convince in further military tests .
When the French state again expressed interest in a military off-road vehicle from Peugeot at the end of 1954 because of the difficulties with the Delahaye VLR, which had been procured in the meantime, Peugeot tried to get the major order. A pre-series of ten to twelve further developed vehicles was built, which the army bought and tested in 1955/56. These vehicles were called by Peugeot 203RB , but were dubbed VSP ( V éhicule de S ervitude P eugeot or v éhicule s péciale P eugeot) by the military . Compared to the prototypes, they had been further developed in detail. The most noticeable difference was the now arched and front hinged bonnet. Overall, they were still very similar to the Jeep, but some features had also been adopted from the Delahaye , the American M151 and the British Champ . In the event of series production, Peugeot reckoned with a number of 25 vehicles per day, which would have created 680 jobs.
Although the first Hotchkiss M201 had been ordered by the army as early as 1955 and so the chance for Peugeot to actually get the order for series production had decreased considerably, the VSP was further developed by 1957. The project was not discontinued until the following year.
A VSP was used by the Peugeot plant fire brigade in Sochaux until 1965 . It may be the same vehicle that is now part of the Peugeot Museum inventory .
In 1982 - a good quarter of a century later - Peugeot finally succeeded in winning the order for the series production of a light off-road vehicle for the French armed forces with the P4 .
Technical data of the different versions
| Peugeot R | Peugeot RA | Peugeot RB | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I. General information | ||||
| crew | up to 4 (including driver) | up to 4 (including driver) | up to 4 (including driver) | |
| number of pieces | approx. 5 | 2 | 10 to 12 | |
| II. General performance information | ||||
| length | 3400 mm | 3400 mm | 3450 mm | |
| width | 1625 mm | 1625 mm | 1640 mm | |
| Center distance | 2057 mm | 2057 mm | 2100 mm | |
| Front track | 1240 mm | 1260 mm | 1260 mm | |
| Rear track | 1280 mm | 1300 mm | 1300 mm | |
| Empty weight | 1014 kg | 1136 kg | 1100 kg | |
| Trailer load | 500 kg | 500 kg | 500 kg | |
| III. Technical specifications | ||||
| engine | 4 cylinder four-stroke inline Otto carburetor type TM | 4 cylinder four-stroke inline Otto carburetor type TN3 | 4 cylinder four-stroke inline Otto carburetor type TN3 | |
| Displacement | 1290 cc | 1468 cc | 1468 cc | |
| power | 33 kW / 45 PS | 48 kW / 65 PS | 48 kW / 65 PS | |
| cooling | water | water | water | |
| Coupling type | Single-disc dry clutch | Single-disc dry clutch | Single-disc dry clutch | |
| transmission | 4 forward gears, 1 reverse gear | 4 forward gears, 1 reverse gear | 4 forward gears, 1 reverse gear | |
| Transfer and reduction gears | 2 gears (1: 1 or 1: 0.57), front axle can be activated | 2 gears (1: 1 or 1: 0.57), front axle can be activated | 2 gears (1: 1 or 1: 0.57), front axle can be activated | |
| Braking system | two-circuit , drum brakes on all four wheels | two-circuit, drum brakes on all four wheels | two-circuit, drum brakes on all four wheels | |
| Electrics | 12 V | 12 V | 12 V | |
| Tires: 5 wheels (including spare wheel) | 6.00 x 16 | 7.00 × 16 | 7.00 × 16 | |
Individual evidence
- ↑ Schwartz, Egbert: The injustice of late birth, in OFF ROAD magazine, issue 5 1996, pages 96 to 97
- ^ French and English-language explanatory board "Jeep VSP" in the Peugeot Museum Sochaux
- ↑ Fiala, Jiri: Illustrated off-road vehicle encyclopedia, Dörfler; Edition: 1st edition (October 2006)
- ↑ Ware, Pat: M201 The Story of the Hotchkiss M201 and the French Jeep, Warehouse Publications
- ↑ Ware, Pat: M201 The Story of the Hotchkiss M201 and the French Jeep, Warehouse Publications
- ^ French and English-language explanatory board "Jeep VSP" in the Peugeot Museum Sochaux
