Peugeot 402

Peugeot 402 at 1938 Le Mans

The Peugeot 402 is a big family automobile manufactured by Peugeot in Sochaux, France from 1935 until 1942. It was launched in 1935 at the Paris Motor Show, replacing the Peugeot 401. The range of different 402 bodies was extensive, encompassing sixteen different body types according to one estimate, ranging from expensive steel-bodied convertible cars to family saloons that were among the most spacious produced in France. There were also three standard wheelbases available: 2,880 mm, 3,150 mm, and 3,300 mm. Approximately 75,000 402s were produced in total.

The rate that France was defeated in June 1940 may have surprised some, but the onset of another war with Germany, and the resultant constraints on civilian fuel supplies, had been widely anticipated. Peugeot was already researching the conversion of petrol engines to run on gas produced by the controlled combustion of charcoal in 1939. The technology would be ideal for the long-bodied Peugeot 402 and the Peugeot DMA light truck. The essential components could be installed on the vehicle without requiring extensive bodywork alteration. A charcoal-burning boiler with a capacity of 35 kg was put on a sturdy platform at the back of the automobile.

This produced enough power for around 50 miles until more charcoal was required. The controlled burning of the charcoal created carbon monoxide, known as gazogène, which was gathered and delivered to a roof-mounted gas tank through a pipe put on the exterior of the right-hand C-pillar. Another pipe located on the exterior of the right-hand A-pillar brought the gazogène down to the engine from here. More than 2,500 Peugeots were outfitted with a gazogène fuel system between 1940 and 1944.