Every now and then I pick up one of my old motoring magazines just to re-read or occasionally read for the first time – (I didn’t always have time to read them properly when new). Most of them are New Zealand Classic Car Magazine, a magazine that I once subscribed to by way of an annual Christmas gift subscription. That is until one year it simply didn’t get renewed. I have since found out this is because my good wife, Mandy, had come to the realisation that I was a hoarder and didn’t/wouldn’t throw anything out.
The fact that I am now able to write to you about this is the required “proof of the pudding.” One thing that I often thought was a downfall of New Zealand Classic Car, was its editing/proofing whether it be in the text or occasionally with wrong captions beneath photos. The example I am going to write to you about again is another case of “proof of the pudding.”
The July 2002 issue of the magazine has an excellent article about the Peugeot GTI family of that time. This is a lengthy article and a number of fabulous photos comparing and briefly road testing the following rather delectable bevy of Peugeots: 306GTi-6, a Targa-spec 205 GTi (1.9), 205 GTi (1.6), 106 Rallye. 205 CTi (owned by our own Don and Wynne Howarth at the time) and a new 206Gti.
Classic Car Magazine had a number of side-box mini-stories associated with the main article. One section of this is about The Rally Successes Peugeot has had. All starts well with mention of the 203 and its success in the Redex Trials in Australia, the achievements of the 404 and 504 in Africa, Australia and South America, but once it gets into the 1980s things go downhill.
I will make the corrections I picked up in brackets.
In 1986, with the 206 T16 Evo 2 (205) won the second successive WRC for the marque………
Peugeot then concentrated on the futuristic 905 V10 sports racing car, which won Le Mans and the World Sports Car title in ’82 (1992) and in 1983 (1993) claimed first, second and third at Le Mans…….
Midway through 1999 the 205 WRC (206) debuted, showing promising form in the hands of Grunholm (Gronholm) and Auriol. Grunholm (Gronholm) went on to blitz WRC in 2000, including a win here in New Zealand.
New Zealand Classic Car Magazine however is not the only one guilty of spelling Marcus’ surname incorrectly. I have a lovely model put out by Saico of the 206 Marcus drove in the 2001 Rallye de Monte Carlo. Gronholm is spelt correctly on the car; however on the display base it is spelt Groholm!
Time to leave that behind and take pride in our Marque. Coming up we have the Navigation Trial with Citroen. Let’s see if we can beat them for a change. In recent years they have won simply by having the numbers, and on occasion the skill as well. Please try and attend this one. It would be good if you can come and make up the numbers. Maybe we can beat them with skill alone, numbers being equal.
Remember – November 20, meet at the Autobahn on the Southern Motorway (Drury) at 1pm, bring pen and/or pencil and I will see you there.
Brent