Dave Partridge bought his Peugeot 106 1.3 Rallye to compete in motorsport events – and then the rules were changed. “I bought it 14 years ago for £450 with the aim of going sprinting and hillclimbing in the up-to-1300cc category,” he says.
“I renovated and fitted Bilstein Group N Tarmac suspension to it everything I could do in the regulations to hillclimb it. Then they changed the regs and increased the class to 1.6, so I never took it racing”.
Perhaps that’s a good thing. The 106 Rallye is a genuine modern classic, sought after by enthusiasts and collectors. Dave’s is a 1995-reg car with 160,000 miles on the clock. “When I bought it, it had blacked-out windows, LEDs in the windscreen washers and a giant spoiler at the back.
“It was a boy racer’s special. None of that bothered me. I was more interested in the fact that it still had its original engine and gearbox. They’re the things you can’t buy,” he says.
It may have had the engine and gearbox it was born with but its body was close to death. “The thing with these cars is that they’re just painted steel underneath,” says Dave. “I knew it was rusty and the chap I sent it to, to be rebuilt, said I should scrap it. Fortunately, he stuck with it and sorted it all out. It’s now like a new car underneath”.
What he didn’t sort out was the car’s paintwork. It’s faded and even blistered in places, especially on the roof, while the red and yellow of the decals have bleached to white. Dave’s not fussed: “I love the patina. I prefer cars that wear their age.
“I’m keen to keep the car as authentic as possible. For example, I’ve replaced the aftermarket front foglights with the original vents. They were only made for Series 1 Rallyes like mine and took me nine years to find”.
Although the car’s body is showing its age, the interior – seats, dashboard, door cards, headlining, carpet – is like new. Dave says it’s the one the car left the factory with.
His enthusiasm for his Rallye is palpable. “I love that it’s so light and that it has no power steering or intrusive ABS. It’s a pure driving experience,” he says. “Compared with a fast modern car, you feel like you’re driving the wheels off it but you look down and you’re doing 65mph! You can have fun but be at the limit at much safer speeds.
“I had the five-speed gearbox rebuilt. It has insanely low ratios. The engine has a high-lift cam and a Supersprint manifold and revs to about 7200rpm. Nothing happens unless you’re wringing its neck. The car is like a little terrier. It’s definitely not a motorway car”.
When he’s not snapping at the heels of other drivers, Dave has other motors to play with. “I have six cars and four motorbikes,” he says. “The cars are a Volvo 240 estate, an ‘E30’ BMW 325i Touring, a Subaru WRX (registered in 2005 – it’s my newest car), a ‘C5’ Audi RS6, which is my dog wagon, and an old Mini.
“I’m looking to buy more: a Jaguar XJS V12, a Morris Oxford and an Alfa Giulia. Cars to me are like dogs: I never sell them. They become part of the family”
