My golden Peugeot 106 GTI

[KAL]

I'm a 28 year old graphic designer from Norway and this is my car.
We'll, this (below) was my car, 106 XSi with an S2 1.6 Rallye engine. Had it for three years.



And it was a cool car. But quite rubbish. Which made me buy this.



Which was all good until i got tired of the noise (as in the headaching sound of rain and wind, stuck in traffic for hours during my east-to-westcoast semi-monthly commute),
lack of speed and the fact that the Norwegian gouverment didn't want it on the road with the suspension i wanted.
So then i managed to be without a car. Until i found this.



Got some new wheels on, with R888's. It has upgraded brakes, Supersprint header, a carbon intake and a de-cat Pugsport of some sorts.
This thread, then, will be my very own caisse de résonance.
Thanks for looking!

[KAL]

So, what is an 106 GTI?
The Peugeot 106 was introduced in 1991 as the French marque's entry level car slotting in beneath the 205 (i guess you Americans know that model?). It was a substantial development of the Citroën AX platform, intended to make it both heavier and safer. It was aimed directly at the Renault Clio.

In early 1996 the 106 received a facelift which saw all engines get fuel injection and equipment levels raised. The XSi (my earlier red one) was dropped in favour of the new GTi model with a 1.6 16v engine.
This engine puts out a healthy 120 hp, and an extra family of horses comes really easily with a new header, exhaust and filter. The weight of the car is about 925 kg with a full tank, mine is 905 with the new wheels and Peugeot Sport Exhaust.

So, why buy this over another luke-warm hatch? Well, price of parts and the engine. This car is hugely popular in rallies and hillclimbs in Europe and performance-parts is easily obtainable. And the engine and chassis is well tuned together and it responds well to upgrades.

Friday is trackday!

[KAL]

And speaking of trackdays, here is a few pictures from the last one i attended.

[—atank—]

Very nice, back some time ago I was into french cars, I have several Peugeot 505's, 405's, and then started a collection Renault LeCar's never got the R5 Turbo I always wanted, or the Renault Alpine GTA, they very rare here in the states.

[KAL]

Awesome! I really like french cars. Hopleless and amazing at the same time, always some quirky error available.. The 505 is really cool, have you seen the 200 PTS? 200 hp, fitted with a Garret turbo.



I was looking at both a Renault 8 Gordini and a Citroen AX GT instead of the GTI, but driving 7000+ miles each year made me buy this instead. That and the sound of the exhaust that i love so much.

[—atank—]

Awesome! I really like french cars. Hopleless and amazing at the same time, always some quirky error available.. The 505 is really cool, have you seen the 200 PTS? 200 hp, fitted with a Garret turbo.



I was looking at both a Renault 8 Gordini and a Citroen AX GT instead of the GTI, but driving 7000+ miles each year made me buy this instead. That and the sound of the exhaust that i love so much.

The 200 PTS only virtually never in person, I really like the Citroen DS3, in WRC form, but the AX GT is nice!
Do you have any Renault Alpine A610's in your area?

[KAL]

A few, I've seen maybe 4 or 5 at the annual Vårsamling (Spring-gathering).

And then there is this:

[— Vegard —]

Nice pug!

That last one, ooooh lord! Renault 5 gt? I havn't seen that front, it's insanely awesome!

[Arny]

That's funny to see some french cars on here

[KAL]

Speaking of awesome fronts, just saw your update, Vegard — droolworthy!

[KAL]

Last friday was my first Trackday with the Pug!
Rudskogen is Norways fastest track, with plenty of elevation and blind corners —*i was anxiously excited.
Here is an onboard video from a BMW Z3 M-coupe that was there. I was too focused on getting around the track, so I didn't record anything. But I will later!
Anyway, the track goes something like this.



The golden Pug performed well, and i quickly reached my limits as it started to rain. Maybe too quickly, ending up nose in after the second heat. All in all I'm very happy with it. It is a great starter-car for trackdays, fast enough (maybe a second quicker to 60 than a 1.8 NB?) and really well balanced. I even got some oversteer experience, as the car is no stranger to letting go on lift-off.



Some more pictures (borrowed):

NC on KW 3 and 235 R888's all round.



Brett's gorgeous 10AE



The field was mostly Lotuses, Porsches and Miatas (8 of 25, actually).



Ouch.

[—atank—]

^^I bet that will be $$$^^

[KAL]

Me too. Especially since the car costs $ 124.540 here in Norway (the double of US MSRP)
The one of the Porsches also touched the railing. It was slippery in the end. But oh so fun!

[KAL]

I've now done about 5000 miles in the Peugeot, mostly long distance and a few trackdays.
It does really hold up well, on its original chassis. The brakes are updated with Ferodo 2500's (hugely recommended), and I've got a new airfilter.
On road performance-wise it goes like a supercharged 1.6 NA, on track, almost like a supercharged 1.6 NA. Thanks to its short lenght and low weight, about 1990 lbs, i'm able to attack corners quite quickly.
Since living in Norway its difficult to get anything road legal, but I really want to install a half cage, uprated driveshafts and a Quaife diff. These cars are known to eat driveshafts, especially when running R888's as daily tires — mine is just starting to make noises.
Megasquirt and the most ludicrous short-shift is on its way.



And here some few meters further, doing 75 mph on three wheels.

[KAL]

Another month, another trackday.
The car has been really great and now its time for some TLC.
Been working on some cosmetic kinks and its now beeing stripped.
A new gear-linkage-set is going in and its going to transform the car — changing gears is the worst thing about it, as precise as a drunken french fencer.







As you can see, this is something else than a standard linkage in a fwd setup. The top part is going through the firewall and straight on the box.
The height will be just above the bottom end of the steering wheel.

Its also soon a two-seater with an half-cage to match. Its going to be a cold winter.