22 Nov 06
So we've driven the Peugeot 207 GT THP 150 and liked it. It's not quite the 207 GTi - it lacks the final 25bhp, for example - but it's a very promising taster of what is to come when the GTi is launched in March.
Meanwhile, here's an even better taster. The 207 LW, or lightweight, has the 175bhp version of the BMW/Peugeot turbo engine destined for the GTi (to be called 207 RC in France) and already seen in the new Mini Cooper S. It also has suspension tuned for a very sporty, interactive drive, and it has shed a hefty 100kg from its weight.
Excellent, you're thinking, sounds like the 106 Rallye idea reborn. But not quite. Great as a 207 Rallye would be, the 207 LW is actually a bespoke race car designed for Peugeot-supported national championships. You buy it as a kit costing about €17,000 or ready to race at €20,000, (plus taxes for both). Then you register for the championship (€600) and find €200 for each of the six meetings, which to begin with are mainly French-based. You get two races per meeting.
This all sounds like excellent fun, with prize money to be won and a 207 Spider race car for the championship winners, but what we want to know is - how like the 207 GTi is the LW?
I'm at a little racetrack at Loheac, in Brittany, and the surface is distinctly damp. The LW is looking very LW indeed, because all that's left of the interior is the dashboard, a Sparco racing driver's seat and the vital controls. Even the gearlever has all its linkage laid bare, and the door trims are mere sheets of moulded glass fibre.
There is, however, a very stout bolted-in rollcage, which puts back some of the weight lost by the cabin's denuding. Exterior pointers to the LW's purpose include a tailgate spoiler (like the aluminium-look door mirrors, these are as will be seen on the GTi) and Peugeot Sport racing wheels with 225/45 R17 tyres. Also, the ABS and ESP systems have been disconnected and a front/rear brake balance adjuster installed.
