Peugeot 106 Rallye

theninj November 19, 2011 0

Peugeot 106 Rallye

On paper, Peugeots entry level hatchback shouldn’t be any good. 100 bhp, 0-60 in over 10 seconds and a top speed of only 116 mph. Not exactly going to grant you pub bragging rights. So why then feature it here? Well, take one by the scruff of the neck, show it some corners, and by the end of the drive you’ll be grinning from ear to ear. The 106 Rallye is all about having cheap fun, and with good used cars starting at about a grand, it’s a proper, stripped out, rally homologation, recession busting drivers car.

Peugeot wanted to go rallying with their little 106. The Rallye is the result of the homologation rules which mean you have to build a specific number of road cars before it’s eligable to compete. Launched in 1994, the Rallye was a no frills, stripped out car that featured a 1.3 litre 100bhp engine mated to a close ratio 5 speed gearbox. Very little sound proofing, no electric windows, no airbags, lightweight pressed steel wheels, ABS and a sunroof only as an option made the Rallye very light, 810kg light! The Rallye was huge fun to drive, the engine loved to be revved hard, the steering could be a tad heavy round town but full of feel (no power assist) round the twisties. This was obviously an enthusiasts car, and has since become a sought after cult machine. Only available in Red, Blue or white, the little 106 Rallye was essentially a stripped out version of it’s bigger brother the GTi, and a better car for it.

The original Series 1 model (which some consider the better car) was produced until 1997 when the new series 2 was released. The Series 2 Rallye was based on the GTi (as was the series 1) which shared its suspension. Now the engine was a tuned version of the 306 1.6 litre unit that only puts out an extra 3 hp but has more torque.