The 504 appeared on the market in late 1968 and it was crowned as the 1969 Car of The Year in Europe for its overall package.
Back in the late ’60s, Europe was not on the verge of power and speed, such as the Americans, which were in the middle of the muscle-car era. The customers asked for sedans with adequate interior room for five and fuel-efficient engines. As for the performance, there were just a few carmakers to offer that, but Peugeot was not one of them. It replaced the 404 range as its flagship model. By European standards, the 504 was a large family sedan, even though it was just 4.48 m (176.6”) long.

Peugeot relied on Pininfarina studios to design the car, and the result was a unique shape for those times, with a raked-forward rear window and a sloped-down trunk lid. At the front, its headlights featured a taller outer side. The flat grille sported two horizontal slats that supported the company’s badge: a lion. As an improvement on the safety side, Peugeot installed rubber blocks on the chromed metallic bumpers.

Inside, the carmaker installed a flat dashboard with a taller instrument cluster with three round dials. Its front bucket seats featured adjustable headrests, which was also something new for those times. In the back, the large bench was good for two since the transmission tunnel was tall and left room enough only for a child.

Under the hood, Peugeot introduced a range of gasoline and diesel engines ranged between 66 hp and 138 hp. A four-speed manual was fitted as standard for the entire range, while a three-speed automatic was on the options list for selected engine versions.