New car news

14 July 2009 - 10:00

Pug of war

See more Peugeot 308 RCZ pics

These are the first pictures of the production-spec Peugeot 308 RCZ. We knew they'd build it, but we weren’t sure if the original concept's swoops would remain.

Thankfully they have - which might come as a bit of a surprise given Peugeot's design department hasn't had much praise recently - so the car you can have on your drive from around 2010 looks almost identical to the concept we first saw at Frankfurt in 2007.

Ignore the handsomely chiselled lifestyle model in our gallery for a moment, and have a gawp at that back windscreen, curved like a supermodel’s bottom. And check out those rear arches, bold and strong like a French Bentley.

Then there’s the roofline, which mimics the silhouette of the car Peugeot hopes to tackle, the Audi TT. If you thought the French only build mingers, think again.
 
So what will power it? There’s bound to be a choice of engines and inevitably a diesel, but the existing 1.6-litre will probably slot in first.

But remember, this is the car that fills the hole left by the 308 GTi, so it could get more poke in future...
 
The car will be shown at the Frankfurt show in September. Could this be a new beginning for Peugeot's designers? Or is it another case of some nice details ruined by awkward proportions and a podgy family gob grafted on the front? You tell us...