Growing up in Kent the summers were hot, Blue Peter was cool and a Burton’s Wagon Wheel was as big as a dinner plate. At least that’s how I remember it as a ten year old in the 1970’s. Of course the history books reflect a different set of events; the winter of discontent, rampant inflation and the fuel crisis.
Isn’t it funny how we often look back with rose tinted glasses, choosing to remember the best bits and deleting the bad? It’s the same, I’ve learnt, with cars. For years I lusted over a Jaguar E-Type, my fantasy fuelled by the misty eyed recollections of previous owners who told tales of their ownership with more fondness than they expressed for their first born child.
It was hardly surprising therefore that when the opportunity arose to drive an immaculate Series II 4.2 roadster, in a television series, I jumped at the chance.
Within 400 yards of taking the helm I came face to face with the reality of old cars. Compared to new ones they don’t handle, brake or steer that well: they also tend to lack the creature comforts and safety features that we now expect. In summary old cars are great to look at but hard work to drive.
This of course is a shame, and it’s clearly not just me who thinks so, because across the channel a small French company called PGO, based near Nimes in the South of France, is building cars that solves those problems by combining retro looks with bang up to date mechanicals.
The car is the PGO Cévennes and I am now the proud ‘owner’ of one, well for a week at least after the UK importer Lifestyle Automotive dropped one off at my house for me to give it the once over.
First glance and its obvious the Cévennes is homage to the Porsche 356 of the 1950’s. The rakish screen, the rear (well mid-mounted) engine, and many details that made the 356 special are reflected in the Cévennes, but closer inspection reveals more, the interior is trimmed in soft high quality leather, the tail lights display modern LED bulbs, the wheels are alloy and the interior is air conditioned.
Could the Cévennes be the answer to my motoring prayers, the perfect blend of beauty, reliability and great driving dynamics? As with any car the only way to find out is to drive it, so grabbing the keys and snatching a scarf off the coat stand I set off, intent on taking it for a good old fashioned “blatt” in the country.
As with any small roadster, with the roof in place cabin access is limited, (the Lotus Elise is much tighter) fine for me; though something of a challenge for the larger gentleman. But drop the hood and suddenly the temptation to hurdle the door and slide straight into the driver’s seat is almost irresistible!
I’m immediately impressed by the little touches (and yes I did open the door) pressing the door handle button makes the side windows drop a tad. It’s a feature usually reserved for Mercedes Benz and BMW’s who claim it reduces damage to the soft top by the frameless windows and creates a better seal when the roof is in place. Either way it’s a quality touch that says much about this car maker’s attention to detail.
Sat behind the wheel and the good feelings continues; electric windows, CD player and a full array of instruments are all present. The supportive, leather clad seats are top notch quality and with a good range of adjustment getting comfy was easy.
PGO have certainly spent some money making this car feel special inside. From the PGO logo’s on the dials to the bespoke heater switches and richly painted dashboard the Cévennes feels like a £50,000 car. So how, when PGO offer this car for £30,000 can they do that?
PGO’s trick is to take the well proven mechanicals of a Peugeot and spend a whole chunk of money on that truly stunning body and a deeply satisfying interior. The best news of all for sports car enthusiasts is that, as a consequence, the reliability and economy are those of a production car with the added benefit of very respectable performance.
By using the same 1997cc engine you’d find in many Peugeots, but with considerably less weight to haul around it will hit 60mph from standstill in a very un-retro 6.8 seconds and continue to pull strongly right up to 134 mph.
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