After ensuring the production and distribution of BBS rims in its workshops, Dangel makes an observation. Accessible and sturdy all-terrain vehicles are rare.
The choice is limited to the expensive Land Rover and Toyota Land Cruiser. The stunning success of the Lada Niva in 1978 gave him ideas. There is still a real place for a 4X4 that is both comfortable and capable of franchising, intended for individuals and professionals alike.
Instead of embarking on the design of a new vehicle, a costly and uncertain adventure, Henry will have a brilliant idea.
Henry Dangel offers a 4X4 to France
The idea is to design a kit that can be adapted to an existing production vehicle. Dangel wants beefy, so he chooses the most reliable French car, the Peugeot 504. By setting his sights on the break version, he takes advantage of the existence of a rear axle.
Dangel designs a transfer case, differentials and equips the valiant Peugeot with raised suspensions. The result is impressive. The peaceful Sochaux sedan has been transformed into an American-style all-terrain station wagon!
Henry Dangel is ready to move on to the next stage of the plan: to offer the vehicle to Peugeot to guarantee wide distribution.
Official Peugeot preparer
Henry Dangel will knock on Peugeot’s door to present his creation to them. Curious, the brand’s managers asked the craftsman for two other vehicles in order to test their resistance and qualities.
After a battery of tests that will last almost two years, Peugeot gives its blessing to Dangel. The brand will not put a spoke in the wheels for the preparer. Better, at Peugeot we think that this 504 4X4 station wagon is a clever way to expand the range.
Peugeot will be able to capture customers looking for a French crossing vehicle, repairable anywhere in France thanks to the extensive network of the lion brand.
Peugeot inherits a 4X4 in its range without spending a penny. The adventurer station wagon was presented at the 1980 Paris Motor Show and from the following vintage, it could be ordered from Peugeot.
A formula that works
Orders begin to flow into Henry Dangel’s desk. But the most loyal and lucrative clientele will be that of the administrations. The army and the gendarmerie seize station wagon 504.
In certain mountain regions or overseas, Henry Dangel’s vehicles work miracles. We appreciate their operating capacities and their solidity to all tests.
EDF, firefighters or rescuers at sea will follow, ensuring, year after year, a well-filled order book. Until November 1985, 3,168 pickups and 1,142 station wagons left the workshops. But the next generation is already pointing the tip of its nose.
A 505 and more
Dangel will renew the concept by transforming the Peugeot 505 station wagon. There too, the machine will mark the spirits, with its very successful look. Same recipe, same success, with the same clientele.
But Dangel will succeed in perpetuating his business always one step ahead. He develops kits for the J5 and C25, making these heavy utility vehicles the ideal vehicle for workers in hostile environments.
The Citroen C15, Boxer, Jumper or Ducato will follow. The design office even produces 205 and 309 GTI in 4X4 version, before tackling the 306 station wagon. These short-lived concepts do not divert Henry from his main objective: to offer 4X4 utilities.
Exporting France
Henry Dangel, who died in 2006 at the age of 71, will leave behind a largely forward-looking company with unique know-how.
Today 80% of Dangel models are sold outside France in a network of 9,000 points of sale. Still a partner of Peugeot and now of Toyota, Dangel offers the brand’s utility vehicles in 4×4 versions, along with their Citroën and Opel cousins.