Gilles Vidal – Driven To Write

Some Misunderstanding

Clio via Sochaux?

If the seminal Renault 4 can lay claim to being the most popular Renault model ever^[1] — and France’s best selling car of all time — Boulogne-Billancourt’s evergreen Clio can equally be considered the French Republic’s best-selling nameplate, with over 16 million built and sold since the model line’s inception in 1990. And not just in its home country either, the Clio has proven a resounding sales success right across Europe.

This level of sales significance, while not in the Toyota Corolla or Volkswagen Golf scale, is still mightily impressive. But whereas one can Continue reading “Some Misunderstanding”

Driven, Written: Peugeot 508 SW 1.6 l PureTech 180

On the basis of its scarcity, Peugeot’s large estate ought to be an also-ran. After a week behind its wheel, it’s a minor revelation.

Estate cars don’t sell the way they used to. Non-German estate cars even less so, which meant that prior to my pre-Christmas trip to the rental car company, where I was supposed to pick up a VW Passat estate (or similar) that was to take two to three people, one to three dogs and quite a bit of luggage all across Germany and back, I’d seen a grand total of two new Peugeot 508 SWs on the roads.

‘Or similar’ turned out to be a Seat Alhambra, which didn’t set my heart aflutter – to say the least. A bit of haggling eventually resulted in a premature Christmas present of sorts, in the form of the metallic olive green Peugeot 508 SW I’d seen on the forecourt and had hoped to be leaving with. So it was to be.

While I always liked this second-generation 508’s appearance – despite a few slightly too busy details and the superfluous ‘lion’s fang’ DRL, I wasn’t expecting an awful lot from the driving experience. At best, I was hoping to Continue reading “Driven, Written: Peugeot 508 SW 1.6 l PureTech 180”

Past Curved Beams Cut The Wintry Rays

Peugeot have unveiled images of the new 208. This’d be a good time to take a closer look at the styling and to find out if we like it or love it.

There are quite substantial detail and proportional changes in this car compared to the outgoing 208. In a way it has taken as drastic a turn as Doctor Who has taken with his/her latest re-incarnation. If you want to Continue reading “Past Curved Beams Cut The Wintry Rays”

Paths Of Glory

The most visual social media network, Instagram, provides car designers with the perfect platform to present their work. Or themselves.

Screen Shot 2017-12-05 at 18.05.02 — Nothing Can Keep Gordenstagram Down

In a sense, Harley Earl was too early (no pun intended). If he’d waited three quarters of a century before pursuing his career as chief designer and PR innovator, he wouldn’t have needed lavish GM roadshows and the likes to showcase the fruit of his and his underlings’ labour. He could just Continue reading “Paths Of Glory”