Monday 19th August 2013

Peugeot 106 Rallye: PH Carpool

A tidy, unmolested 106 Rallye was too much to turn down for this PHer - who can blame him?

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Name: Duncan Scoble
Car: Peugeot 106 Rallye S2 Bianca White
Owned since: August 2013
Previously owned: BMW M3s, M5, 1 M Coupe, JCW Minis

An AMG V8 and a French hot hatch - very PH tastes

Why I bought it:
"Wife had a 106 GTI in the late 90s. I remember what fun it was. Wanted weekend alternative to my C63. Inspired to hunt for one by recent Chris Harris piece on a mint S1 Rallye."

What I wish I'd known:
"That I'd get a mysterious urge to rag around town centre car parks. And just how heavy the steering is. Modern cars have made me soft. I'm getting used to it though."

Things I love:
"Rarity, only 500 S2 Rallyes were imported to the UK in right-hand drive - 250 blue and 250 white. The compact dimensions and simplicity. Its lack of frippery - creature comforts extend to heating, rear screen demister and a cigarette lighter. And I don't smoke. There's no central locking or electric windows. It's a clear illustration of how much extra kit we now like to have in our cars. It needs a completely different driving style in order to get the best from it. I'm having fun relearning my local roads."

Has any car made steelies cooler than the Rallye?

Things I hate:
"Maybe parking with the heavy steering but that's about it. I bought it as a second car and am willing to indulge it a little. I think keeping it properly clean might be a struggle."

Costs:
"Very little so far. Insurance worked out at £20.00. I switched to a Multicar policy with Admiral and got a £300.00 discount on my C63!"

Where I've been:
"Spirited drives in my local area. Was half thinking of leaving it at our holiday home in Cornwall as it would be great on the roads around there. I wouldn't get to drive it enough though."

Minimalisim of interior comes as a shock

What next:
"Try to keep it clean, maybe get the wheels refurbished and put the front bumper on straight. Enjoy simple motoring again."

 

 

[KernowSid]

Love these Peugeot Rallye's. Mate had a mk1 106 followed by the 306. Drove both a couple of times, brilliant cars.

Prefered the 106 to the 306, just something about it.

Very nice garage of cars. And it would be brilliant on the country roads of Cornwall, perfect car in fact.

[mr2j]

Those wheels. Perfect.

[Agent Orange]

Now they were a lot of fun back in the day.

[Steve_bullockuk]

A good friend of mine had a blue S2 with a 16v engine. I know the purists are against doing this but the extra power and torque transformed the car for the better and complimented the fantastic chassis.

[BlackCup]

Bloody love these little cars! Really wanted one when I just passed but could only stretch to the 1.1 Aztec ltd edition haha!

[Krikkit]

Utterly love mine, definitely a keeper for many years to come.

Only things to watch out for on these is rot - the shells are starting to get a bit ropy and need some TLC in one or two places. Thankfully it's usually the non-cosmetic bits that get tinworm, so they can be sorted relatively cheaply, but need doing before they go too far.

ETA: If you want really heavy steering try a Quaife quick-rack.

Edited by Krikkit on Monday 19th August 09:44

[MGZTV8]

Bought one of these although a s1 brand new in 1995.

Picked it up from Glanden Motors in Preston at midnight on the 1st August.

Only when I'd sold it 18 months later did I realise how good it was because I always secretly wished I'd bought an XSI.

If only I knew then what I know now!

N441 ECW where are you?

[suffolk009]

I went looking to buy one of these a couple of years ago. It was impossible to find one that hadn't had the engine swapped for a 16V, the suspension "improved", some tasteful bodywork additions, and not one had the original wheels on.

Eventually I gave up and bought a BRM Rover instead.

[r1ch]

Saw one of these parked up yesterday, great little cars!

[Krikkit]

suffolk009 said:

I went looking to buy one of these a couple of years ago. It was impossible to find one that hadn't had the engine swapped for a 16V, the suspension "improved", some tasteful bodywork additions, and not one had the original wheels on.

Eventually I gave up and bought a BRM Rover instead.

It can be tricky to find unmolested ones, but most of the mods people do are easily reversible (16v engine excepted) in an afternoon if you can hold a spanner. Must admit I haven't seen many bodywork additions other than colour-coding mirrors and door handles.

[Mat ed30]

Had one of these a few years ago was great fun but finding one that still has the original mtr is getting hard as most have had the saxo VTR or vts mtr put in them

This was my old one

[Baryonyx]

Nice car, but not a great Carpool, it reads like a five minute job; " the steering is heavy and there are no toys". How insightful!

Regarding the state of these in 2013, a few do need welding, particularly S1's, but as mentioned the structural points tend to be pretty hardy! I've not seen very many at all with body modifications, other than dealer fit colour coded spoilers. I wouldn't go for a 16v conversion myself, despite it's popularity. Part of the joy of the 8v engine is how much it needs it's neck wringing to get the best from it, with all it's power at the top end of the rev range. The 16v will make it faster, with a more linear power delivery but it loses that fantastically manic character, and for a sake of a few bhp I'd rather savour that grin inducing moment when it comes on cam, and the induction note coalesces into a hard buzz-saw tone.

I've had mine since February, and it is remarkable in that, for such a small and simple car, it sturdily protects me from lusting after much else.

[deadmau5]

I was looking at these in the classifieds last week. You can get Clio 172s for the same price though so I guess you'd have to really like Peugeot to go for one of these.

[pugfan]

Really, really like these! Will have one some day.

Suppose my 205 will have to do in the mean time

[grumpy52]

Saw one near Bodmin on friday, the first one for many years.
I remember them actually being used in the forests.

[Baryonyx]

They are still popular with privateer entrants in European rallying. In their natural environment...


At 00:53...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF753HLZKhk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw2uPJjlqQg

[Mr.Jimbo]

I really miss my S1. I'm looking for a decent shell (or S1 with knackered engine) as I've got a bit of a fruity 8v 1.3 in the garage that I never built for mine (lightened and balanced xsi bottom end)

I'd have one again in a heartbeat.

[Tiger Tim]

I disagree about the engine in the ph2 106 Rallye. From memory it was very uninspiring. They did a good job in making it basic and dressing it up like a special edition which ofcourse involves you more.

The real gem is a the ph1. Specifically developed engine for the car with a high revving 100bhp 1300 engine. They felt like someone had shoved a firework up your ass.

The ph2 as nice as it is has a leggy feeling and long gearing.

I think it's overcomplicated modern cars that dull the senses. The 106 is a good car but its the ph1 that's king here.

[nick_mcuk]

Tiger Tim said:

I disagree about the engine in the ph2 106 Rallye. From memory it was very uninspiring. They did a good job in making it basic and dressing it up like a special edition which ofcourse involves you more.

The real gem is a the ph1. Specifically developed engine for the car with a high revving 100bhp 1300 engine. They felt like someone had shoved a firework up your ass.

The ph2 as nice as it is has a leggy feeling and long gearing.

I think it's overcomplicated modern cars that dull the senses. The 106 is a good car but its the ph1 that's king here.

So true....S1 Rallye is the one to have.

Drove an S2 for the AutoExpress article and really thought it was fairly uninspiring to drive.

S1 with the 1.3 engine was an absolute nutter car to drive much more fun.

But suppose its like the 205 GTI 1.6 vs 1.9 debate could go on forever!!

[Baryonyx]

Tiger Tim said:

I disagree about the engine in the ph2 106 Rallye. From memory it was very uninspiring. They did a good job in making it basic and dressing it up like a special edition which ofcourse involves you more.

The real gem is a the ph1. Specifically developed engine for the car with a high revving 100bhp 1300 engine. They felt like someone had shoved a firework up your ass.

The ph2 as nice as it is has a leggy feeling and long gearing.

I think it's overcomplicated modern cars that dull the senses. The 106 is a good car but its the ph1 that's king here.

An effort must be made to quell the misinformation about these cars, as there is some about. The engine in the S1 was the block, rods, crank and pistons from the 1300cc 205 Rallye with a revised 106 XSi head, whereas the S2 was fitted with the TU5J2, a tuned version of the 106 XSi engine of the time. So both engines are essentially new creations, derived from the Peugeot parts bin. The goal, in both cases, was to make a stripped back performance car that was cheap to develop and produce.

The cars drive relatively similarly, with the S1 feeling slightly more powerful at the top end and having 200rpm more to play with, whilst the S2 made use of the larger capacity engine with a broader spread of torque across the range, though it is still definitely a revvy engine and will attract cries of "where is the torque!?!?!?!" if you're not in the right gear. I prefer the looks of the S1, though the S2 makes for a better toy on the road as it is a little more tractable. I suspect the S1 may be more fun on track, where you are afforded the sight lines to keep it stirred right at the redline!

If you were buying one now though, I'd advise you look at both models and buy the best of either that you can find, as they are all 'old' now, their numbers have dwindled significantly and a lot of them are suffering from rust.

ETA: On the 205 GTi argument, I'm pretty firmly in the 1.9 camp...I think!