[2] By this time, competitor vehicles from volume automakers such as the Peugeot 402, Renault Primaquatre and Citroën Traction were coming with all-steel bodies formed from sheet steel using heavy presses, and without the need for any separate structural frame underneath the panels.

The 11CV 1,990cc four cylinder water-cooled unit delivered a maximum of 50 hp (37 kW) at 4,000 rpm to the rear wheels via a conventional 4-speed manual gear box.

Previously, both cars had sat on a 2,850 mm (112 in) wheelbase which according to some customer reports had provided insufficient interior leg space.

[4] The reduction of choice in terms of body types and engine option also found an echo in the range of colours offered which by the time of the October 1937 Motor Show was down to just four (black, blue, green and grey).

At the 32nd Paris Motor Show in October 1938 Berliet presented a completely rebodied Dauphine, displaying the curved panels that were becoming mainstream for the volume auto-makers, reflecting the switch to pressed steel car bodies.

Berliet’s own Peugeot bodied Dauphine, launched in March 1939 at the Lyon Trade Fair, arrived just in time for the outbreak of war.