Its 1.3-litre engine produces a mere 100bhp and its top speed is just 118mph. But the Series 1 Rallye has motorsport in its DNA, an insatiable appetite for revs and real genius in its handling. Proof that evo icons can come in the humblest of packages.
The peak of hatchback design was arguably reached all the way back in 1993 – the year the pretty Peugeot 306 was launched, with a design by Pininfarina. Sure, it might look slightly dated now, but has the simplicity of its lines, its perfect proportions, shapely hatchback or even its dainty door mirrors really been improved upon? Most contemporary hatchbacks have a grille like a surprised emoji.
We’re talking about the best rally cars of all time. The World Rally Championship (WRC) was never more exciting and chock-full of memorable machinery as it was during the Group B era of the 1980s; a time when the cars were considered more wild and outrageous than their F1 counterparts, coining the phrase “Formula 1 for the forest”.
We are used to Peugeot using 0 in its model range but where did the story begin? As part of our 65-year celebration of CAR, we drive the first of these models, the 201 Saloon.
You’re not going to mistake the new Peugeot 308 for anything else on the road but, while the design-led exterior is cutting edge, there’s not much that’s innovative about the diesel parts that sit under the swish bodywork. It sits on top of the EMP2 platform, a chassis development that underpins everything from a DS 9 luxury saloon to the Citroën Dispatch van.
