So, one report in and already the little homologation special has reached the end of the line and has been replaced by an even more famous motorsport legend. After almost two years and about 22,000 miles in the frantic little buzzbox the time and opportunity came to move up a class or two.

Driving the Rallye has never disappointed, making even some of the most humdrum journeys a little bit special. It usually involved a spirited overtake meaning an increase in pace leading to the road being treated as my very own special stage. The way that momentum can be maintained round the bends meant that the drivers of supposedly quicker machinery found the little white shopping trolley behind them being held up. Quite how that much grip could be found from the very modest 175 width tyres, I have no idea. Must be that old Peugeot Hot Hatch magic that seems to have unfortunately vanished from their current ranges. The pinpoint accurate and exceptionally feelsome steering also played a major role in the cross country pace. With the ability to be able to not only feel surface changes but also the actual grade of aggregate used in the tarmac meant that any small change of line could be detected and acted upon before anything untoward occurred. Combined with precision throttle adjustability, it meant that some audacious cornering attitudes could be adopted.

The raucous little 1300 engine sounds great with the addition of the induction kit that was fitted when I bought the car. The noise was reminiscent of a junior touring car when closing on the 7,300 rpm redline. Although fitting induction kits to the TU engine is supposed to lose a little power, especially in the mid range, the increase in aural delights was more than enough to persuade me to keep it over the standard airbox. The noise can become a little wearing on longer journeys though and this is the environment where the Rallye is least happy. It will happily cruise with the reps and has the poke to accelerate past people when needed but all this will be happening well above 5,000 rpm. This proved to be the only downside of the low gearing that allows the impressive performance in other situations.

When travelling solo, the noise could be overcome by turning up the volume of the Alpine head unit and allowing the superb DLS component speakers to sing but this was a little too selfish when I was accompanied. I also had a small amplifier fitted to power a 12" subwoofer in the boot. The fitting of decent stereo equipment might be going a little against the lightweight ethos of the Rallye but as this was my only car, it was a sacrifice I was willing to make. The amp was mounted very neatly on the floor under the passenger seat and the sub' was fitted in such a way as to be very easily removed for trackdays or if the full boot space was required.

Maintenance proved to be reasonably simple apart from Peugeot's annoying habit of using different sized Torx bits for the majority of the fittings. This meant that you invariably had the wrong bit in the driver and due to them all looking pretty similar there would be a frustrating delay whilst trying to find the correct size. Oil changes, which were carried out using Millers Semi Synthetic oils at 3,000 mile intervals for peace of mind, were easy thanks to the handily located filter and the easily drained sump. Spark plug access was equally easy and the air filter in the induction kit only needed a quick shake to remove the worst of the debris. The original radiator was replaced with an aluminium alloy Nissens rad' as it had suffered some surface damage and to improve cooling efficiency. The shiny alloy radiator nestling behind the bumper grill also added a welcome bit of bling to the front of the car!

The only other cosmetic change I made to exterior of the car, after refitting the original steel wheels, were the removal of the badly faded front and rear "hockey stick" stickers. Sacrilege amongst the Rallye community but I thought it looked much better without them.

Most memorable drives in the Rallye? There were a few one in particular stands out. A few of us had gathered for a blast along the A896 from Kinlochewe to Sheildaig in the Wester Ross area on the west coast of Scotland. Torrential rain, grippy surface and no traffic; perfect! Indecent progress was made with the wipers on double speed and the accompaniment of lots of giggling from my passenger. Leaving the Integra Type R and Boxster S in my wake (literally) was the icing on the cake.

So, what is it that can have possibly tempted me away from the Rallye? It must be a bit special. The same number of cylinders but a litre more capacity and twice as many valves, driven by the rear wheels, one less door and hailing from a small motor works in Munich. The most successful touring car ever. Can you tell what it is yet?

The Rallye is actually now up for sale as the new car has taken its space. Anyone interested can contact me at matthew@screamingjaffa.co.uk and I will provide further details.