Two cars for the price of one. That's the claim being made by France's Peugeot company ahead of the forthcoming South African launch of the Peugeot 206 CC.
And they're right; the little 206 CC is indeed two cars in one. In normal guise it's a chic two-door 2+2 coupé but, at the touch of a button, the roof folds into the boot to create a very stylish cabriolet - hence the CC (coupé/cabriolet) designation.
Of course, retractable roofs are not new - Mercedes - as been doing it for years - but this is the first time the technology is being used on such a small car. The 206 CC owes its origins to a concept car that made its debut at the Geneva Show of 1998. The car received such rave reviews that Peugeot's management needed only two years to transform the dream into reality.
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The 206 CC is due to be released in South Africa shortly and is the latest addition to the growing Peugeot range locally.
'its small, but the 206 CC is comprehensively equipped'
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In Europe the 206 CC is available with a choice of two engines, a 1.6-litre unit developing 80kW and the fire-breathing 100kW, two-litre motor as fitted to the sporty S16 (known in this country as the GTi) model. Both motors are free-revving, fuel-injected, twin-overhead camshaft units designed for
performance driving.
At present McCarthy Peugeot Distributors only sell the 206 model in two-litre GTi form, so the odds are that only the two-litre CC model will make it to the local showrooms.
Currently, the engines drive the front wheels through a slick five-speed manual gearbox but a four-speed automatic gearbox is destined for production
early next year.
As on all 206 models, the CC's suspension features McPherson struts and lower wishbones at the front and trailing arms with an anti-roll bar at the rear.
Fifteen-inch wheels are fitted to the 1.6 model while 16-inch alloy wheels are standard on the two-litre model.
Because of the machinery required for the retractable roof, the 206 CC weighs fractionally more than the standard 206, while some modifications have also been needed at the front of the car. The bonnet is the same as that fitted to all 206 models but the air intake on the two-litre model has been increased. In addition, the widened front wings fitted to both versions are from the top-of-the-range S16 model.
In spite of its small size, the 206 CC is comprehensively equipped. It features two front and two side crashbags, ABS, air-conditioning, RDS stereo with CD player and sports seats with a memory facility.
The Peugeot 206 will be introduced to the South African motoring press at a launch in France next week at which more details will be announced.
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