Scrapyard Gem: 2006 Peugeot 307 CC Sport

YORK, England — Peugeot claims to have invented the retractable hardtop convertible with the 1934 Peugeot 401 Eclipse Decapotable, decades before Ford created the Fairlane 500 Skyliner. Fast-forward to 2000, when Peugeot began selling the 206 CC, a sporty version of the 206 subcompact with hardtop roof that folded into the trunk. A couple of years later, the innovative French manufacturer followed up with the 307 CC, based on the larger 307 compact. Right-hand-drive versions were created for sale across the Channel, and I've found this 2006 model in a self-service breaker's yard in York, England.

U-Pull-It York boasts an excellent selection of discarded French machinery; in fact, the section for Renaults, Peugeots and Citroens is the biggest in the facility. So far, I've documented just today's Junkyard Scrapyard Gem plus a 2010 Peugeot Bipper from the French section of that yard, but there are many more to come.

This car is a 2.0 Sport, which had an MSRP of GBP20,945 in the United Kingdom (about GBP34,642 in 2024 pounds, or $43,763 in 2024 dollars).

It has a 2.0-liter DOHC engine rated at 175 horsepower, which was good power for a car weighing just over 3,000 pounds.

The transmission is a five-speed manual.

The 307 CC was quite a bit more expensive than the tiny 206 CC and GM's retracting-hardtop rival for Europe: the Opel/Vauxhall Tigra TwinTop.

It would be fun to have one of these in the United States, though a left-hand-drive one from the Continent would be easier to deal with on our roads. You'll be able to import one legally in 2027!

The Wall's Funny Feet car air freshener is a retro design inspired by foot-shaped ice cream bars that were popular in 1980s Britain. There are always new bits of history to discover in a junkyard scrapyard!

Buy one and you'll be beautiful and adventurous.

You might not be able to fry an egg on the decklid in France.

 

By Murilee Martin