Club Peugeot UK - The Official UK Peugeot Owner's Club

CPUK Annual Rally

This year’s National Rally was one of the best ever – as well as one of the hottest. Held at Kelmarsh Hall in Northamptonshire and organised by Membership Secretary Alistair Inglis, the event enjoyed all-day sunshine in a brief period of summer heatwave. Thankfully, a huge futuristic gazebo gave club members a place to picnic in the shade.

With a stately home to visit, plant sales, a jazz band and more on offer it was not just CPUK members that were queuing to get in – Kelmarsh claimed 1,400 visitors on the day. And classic car enthusiasts were not just able to peruse a fine display of Peugeots, but for the first time at a National Rally a huge variety of other French cars too.

As well as an opportunity to meet friends old and new, the National offered the chance to win some excellent raffle prizes and to take part in a test of driving skills. Then there were the usual cups and trophies to be won (see list of results).

Peugeots came from far and wide and ranged from the 202s of Alaine Foote and Len Mills to the Group B four-wheel drive turbocharged and mid-engined 205 T16 of Ian Kirkwood. Ian’s superb car was recently imported from Paris and is number 188 of the 200 built – all in graphite grey.

Other rare lions included Harold Kidd’s 504 LD saloon, which he has owned from new in 1975 – and is still on its original exhaust at 81,000 miles. And another diesel was the 504 Cabriolet of parts specialist Dean Hunter – this unique car having been fitted with a 505 turbo-diesel engine. How about that for a fore-runner of today’s 206 CC and 307 CC HDi diesels?

Continuing the Cabrio theme was Tom Wade’s 204 – looking superb in ice blue, this car was previously registered in Guernsey and has covered just 32,000 miles. There are very very few 204 Cabriolets left now – especially in right-hand drive – so it was good to see this pretty car.

It was also pleasing to see a pair of very smart 309 GTIs and surprising to note that 504 saloons and estates outnumbered their coupe and cabriolet cousins. Even stranger was the lack of 304s – Dave Candlin’s green Cabriolet was the sole example. Once these were the mainstay of the club – where are they all now? If you own one please try to show up at club events to prove that these great little cars still exist.

But as I said at the outset, this meeting was not just about Peugeots – it was great to see other French marques in attendance and I hope very much that this is a sign of forging closer links with the other clubs. Citroens included a four-door convertible conversion of the DS, a GS Pallas owned by the same family from new, 2CV vans and a Bijou – the only Citroen to be built solely in the UK. The Simca Club reported a record turn-out of 19 cars – nearly double the number at their own National! Cars included several rear-engined 1000s in Rallye 1, 2 and 3 guises, as well as a pretty Oceane cabriolet. Then there were the Renaults, including rear-engined 4CV and Dauphine models. And the Matra Enthusiasts Club displayed mid-engined sports cars (M530 and Murena) as well as the Rancho estate car. As Ranchos were sold through Peugeot-Talbot dealers the link here with CPUK is especially apt.

All in all it was a great day. Thanks to everyone involved in organising it. Already I’m looking forward to the next National – with even more French cars on show.

Peter Vaughan