In the roaring twenties, big was beautiful. Unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October 1924, the Peugeot T-174 was a prime example of the exuberance of the time, with a quiet sleeve valve or valveless engine, rated at 85 bhp, and a top speed of over 100 mph. Just 810 units of the T-174 were built, and of those a mere 208 were upgraded to sport versions, the T-174 S, between 1924 and 1928. The sportier 174 S models won a number of competition touring events in the mid-1920s.

The example presented here is a T-174 S, the crème de la crème of the Peugeot offering in 1924. It presents today in fire engine red with “Sapeurs Pompiers” (Paris Fire Brigade) emblazoned on its hood, pointing to its service in the French fire brigade. Almost 100 years old, this lovely example of the T-174 S was part of the famous Schlumpf Collection, before being seized in 1977 by the French government; it was later returned to the family as part of the Schlumpf Malmerspach Reserve Collection. The Mullin Automotive Museum acquired the unrestored utility vehicle for its own collection in 2009, and it has remained in the museum’s devoted care since then.

A lovely, unrestored relic from a bygone era, after 97 years this fabulous T-174 S is ready for some careful preservation and a new appointment to a carefully curated collection of French cars or fire apparatus.