RE: Peugeot 306 Rallye: Spotted
Tuesday 16th April 2013
There’s been rather a lot of talk on PH lately about what Peugeot is and isn’t doing right. Everyone has an opinion but of course, it’s easy for us armchair commentators to pick holes. So instead of whinging about Peugeot today, we’ve rooted out a cracking example of Peugeot’s work from yesteryear – and no, it isn’t a 205GTI.
Not many toys. But oodles of fun.French car cognoscenti will be perfectly well aware of the Rallye line of cars, one which this car sadly seems to have been the last of to date. The ethos was simple: less is more. Less kit, less sound deadening and less weight, in return for more speed and more agility. The Rallye only actually weighed 16kg less than the GTI-6 on which it was based, but it was just enough to give it a harsher, keener edge.
Lots of paperwork's always a good signAnd today you can be a part of that club for very little cash. £1,400, to be precise, which gets you this delightfulblack example with plenty of MOT, tax and history. OK, so it isn’t standard, but the modifications are relatively limited, and the coilover suspension fits the car’s hardcore ethos. Set up properly, this 306 will make a stonking track toy, with one of the best 90s hot hatch chassis, a superb, rev-happy engine, and lift-off oversteer on tap. That, we reckon, sounds like an awful lot of fun for very little wedge.
Peugeot 306 Rallye: Spotted
90s track day hot hatch fun for under £1,500? Sounds good to us!
Not many toys. But oodles of fun.
Most people picked the GTI-6, which is no surprise really, as the Rallye was pretty basic. No air con, no leather – not even electric windows. Even the badges were replaced with decals, to save weight. In fact, its spec list ran to... ooh... a digital clock and a stereo, and that was about it. But there were a few people for whom the red, blue and yellow stripes of the Rallye were a badge of honour. They were the hardcore; the ones who’d sacrificed comfort for the ultimate in hot hatch ability.
Lots of paperwork's always a good sign
PEUGEOT 306 RALLYE
Engine: 1,998cc 4-cyl
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 169@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 145@5,500rpm
MPG: 30
CO2: 219g/km
First registered: 1999
Recorded mileage: 99,000
Price new: £15,995
Yours for: £1,400
See the original advert here.
Discussion
GregMac said:
The GTI-6 was a winner for me, hard to see beyond power windows and air conditioning for the sake of some naff stickers and 16 kilos. For me, the 306 Rallye was where it started to go wrong.
Are you stupid? The 306 Rallye was just a continuation of the ethos that had encapsulated all of the Rallye cars. If you were looking for where 'it started to go wrong', you'd have to look to when Peugeot started churning out lacklustre hot hatches and decided that there would be no more Rallye cars. I guess they just thought people weren't interested in good drives anymore. Great find on the advert though. I very nearly bought a black 306 Rallye last year. The exclusivity over the GTI-6 would be enough for me, though they are all cracking cars. Now, probably more than ever, the Rallye seems like an ideal choice. The tide has turned on the manufacturers now as enthusiasts complain about new cars looking like deformed, melted blobs of plastic with excessive weight, pensioner-pleasing automatic gearboxes and an 'all frills and no thrills' aura.
Here is something that doesn't have sat nav, cruise control, massage seats, a garage door opener, a television, a phone, ipod connectivity, insulated cup holders, makeup mirrors etc etc. But it will provide smiles on every journey with it's fantastic engine, super chassis and old-skool charm.
What a cracker.
So refreshing to see power figures like that.
Reminds me of a time before the BHP-arms-race when cars didn't have to be putting out crazy power to be fun and feel fast.
Perhaps it is rose tinted specs, but I always feel the nineties was the pinacle of car development in terms of balance between technology and driver enjoyment.
I mean cars had enough tech to be easy to live with and not inclined to kill you, but were still light weight and engaging to drive.
So refreshing to see power figures like that.
Reminds me of a time before the BHP-arms-race when cars didn't have to be putting out crazy power to be fun and feel fast.
Perhaps it is rose tinted specs, but I always feel the nineties was the pinacle of car development in terms of balance between technology and driver enjoyment.
I mean cars had enough tech to be easy to live with and not inclined to kill you, but were still light weight and engaging to drive.
Baryonyx said:
Are you stupid? The 306 Rallye was just a continuation of the ethos that had encapsulated all of the Rallye cars. If you were looking for where 'it started to go wrong', you'd have to look to when Peugeot started churning out lacklustre hot hatches and decided that there would be no more Rallye cars. I guess they just thought people weren't interested in good drives anymore.
Alright steady on buddy, everyone is entitled to their opinion...
GregMac said:
The GTI-6 was a winner for me, hard to see beyond power windows and air conditioning for the sake of some naff stickers and 16 kilos. For me, the 306 Rallye was where it started to go wrong.
In what sense is the 306 Rallye the start of things going wrong? Isn't the problem with modern Pugs that they are dull, lifeless things? Too much bling, not enough substance? Surely the Rallye is the opposite of this.
I had one a few years ago, after a 106 Rallye and before my second 106 Rallye. That sums up my feelings for the car to be honest.
I actually wanted a GTi6, but came across a white Rallye and bought it instead. Having driven both, the weight loss isn't enough to make a difference and I'd rather have had the toys in the GTi6 in hindsight.
The Rallye was a nice car, but it never felt that brilliant after owning the 106, which was properly lightweight and felt more precise with the non-PAS set up.
I sold it to buy another 106, which was even better than my first one, it had been looked after and had a brilliant suspension set up.
I don't regret buying the 306 Rallye, but I wouldn't buy another.
I actually wanted a GTi6, but came across a white Rallye and bought it instead. Having driven both, the weight loss isn't enough to make a difference and I'd rather have had the toys in the GTi6 in hindsight.
The Rallye was a nice car, but it never felt that brilliant after owning the 106, which was properly lightweight and felt more precise with the non-PAS set up.
I sold it to buy another 106, which was even better than my first one, it had been looked after and had a brilliant suspension set up.
I don't regret buying the 306 Rallye, but I wouldn't buy another.
Roadster25 said:
GregMac said:
The GTI-6 was a winner for me, hard to see beyond power windows and air conditioning for the sake of some naff stickers and 16 kilos. For me, the 306 Rallye was where it started to go wrong.
In what sense is the 306 Rallye the start of things going wrong? Isn't the problem with modern Pugs that they are dull, lifeless things? Too much bling, not enough substance? Surely the Rallye is the opposite of this.I've owned two and they're cracking cars, couple of misconceptions though.
1. It wasn't a limited edition, rather, the UK importer ordered 500 and they didn't sell. They didn't ask for any more.
2. It wasn't born out of the need to make a lighter, faster GTI-6, it was the need to make a cheaper one. Back in 1999 the GTI-6 sales started to dry up and with the car approaching £19000 it was expensive, especially next to the Fiat Bravo HGT and the Almera GTI so they stripped the spec, charged £15,995 and stuck a few stickers on it.
The Rallye is, however, the one I'd have having owned 2 GTI-6 and 2 Rallyes. The car feels more like an old school Pug, it doesn't lose out for the lack of any features and I like my hatches to have cloth seats (the seats are actually the original, p1 GTI-6 seats and have better bolsters on than later cars)
For £1500, I can't think of any other hatch I'd rather have.
1. It wasn't a limited edition, rather, the UK importer ordered 500 and they didn't sell. They didn't ask for any more.
2. It wasn't born out of the need to make a lighter, faster GTI-6, it was the need to make a cheaper one. Back in 1999 the GTI-6 sales started to dry up and with the car approaching £19000 it was expensive, especially next to the Fiat Bravo HGT and the Almera GTI so they stripped the spec, charged £15,995 and stuck a few stickers on it.
The Rallye is, however, the one I'd have having owned 2 GTI-6 and 2 Rallyes. The car feels more like an old school Pug, it doesn't lose out for the lack of any features and I like my hatches to have cloth seats (the seats are actually the original, p1 GTI-6 seats and have better bolsters on than later cars)
For £1500, I can't think of any other hatch I'd rather have.
Back when the Rallye and the GTi-6 were a big deal, I was in my late teens and worked in a call centre in Bristol. At the time I was driving around in a chavved up Corsa GSi that put out a little over 100bhp. It was considered a pretty quick car at the time, particularly to be driving in at my age.
I remember an older girl joining the company who had a GTi-6. When I found out it had a staggering 167bhp, I remember being absolutely blown away.
That seemed to me at the time a mind boggling amount of power for a hatchback. I can remember oggling it in the car park and day dreaming about the endless possibilities of one day owning a car as fast and powerful as that.
Oh to get some of that childlike wonder back...
I remember an older girl joining the company who had a GTi-6. When I found out it had a staggering 167bhp, I remember being absolutely blown away.
That seemed to me at the time a mind boggling amount of power for a hatchback. I can remember oggling it in the car park and day dreaming about the endless possibilities of one day owning a car as fast and powerful as that.
Oh to get some of that childlike wonder back...
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