Price £18,895
MPG 47.9
Top speed 143mph
My youngest daughter came home from school on Friday with news that her friend's little sister had been born. "She's called Elise, because her dad loves sports cars," she explained. I didn't have Elise's dad down as a Lotus man, but as his choice was either Elise, Exige or Evora, I'd say he's definitely picked the best of the line-up. My son then chipped in that his friend Enzo was named after Ferrari, which got me thinking about other "bonkers monikers" that must be out there. Is there a VW Sharan in your office? Ever met an Aston Martin? Do you know Su Baru? (Stop, that's enough.) Of course, it's usually the other way round, with cars being named after people. I wonder what Ettore Bugatti, Louis Chevrolet, Walter Chrysler, André-Gustave Citroën, Henry Ford, Soichiro Honda, Ferruccio Lamborghini and Ferdinand Porsche would make of the fact that their names are now global brands?
This week I am driving a car that carries the family name of Armand Peugeot, the French industrialist who died shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. Peugeot (the brand), of which 25.2% is still family owned, now employs more than 200,000 people – six of whom are Peugeots. A couple of years ago I met one of the fortunate six – Xavier Peugeot. He runs the firm's museum in Sochaux, and I am sure he'll be one of the first to get his hands on the clan's newest member – the 208 GTi.
The family firm already has a bit of a reputation when it comes to hot hatches (which sounds like birdspotter slang for this week's sexiest chicks). Mention the 208's predecessor – the 205 GTi – to anyone who started their driving career in the mid-80s and a reverential look will come over their face. Thirty years later that 205 GTi is still lauded as one of the greats of budget performance motoring. Then there followed hot versions of the 206 and 207, but their impact was lukewarm at best. So the question many of us, and Xavier too, are now asking is: will the 208 GTi restore Peugeot's hot-hatch mojo?
The heart of big-thrills, small-car motoring is, obviously, the engine – and this 208 is blessed with an excitable 1.6-litre turbocharged unit that produces an amazing 200bhp. It'll whip you from a standstill to 62mph in 6.8 seconds with the sort of zip usually enjoyed by trick waterskiers. So admired is this powerplant that it has just picked up the 2013 award for International Engine of the Year. For the more academic of the piston-fancying community, that's the big one – the Oscars of internal combustion.
Unleash this award-winning beauty on the road and an appreciative smile will creep across your chops. It's quick, eager and zealous. On the corners, it feels grounded and stable. It gets the bends. But one of its real bonuses is that it's not just a party animal. Drive it in a more sedate fashion and you'll find it is comfortable and surprisingly refined. In country-music parlance, it's a sinner on a Saturday night, a saint on a Sunday morning…
From the outside, the 208 is a feast of curves, where the 205 was box-cornered. But don't think it's gone too la-di-da – there's still plenty to appeal to your lairy side: 17in alloys, red calliper brakes and chromed twin exhausts. The word Peugeot glints in red lettering from under the bonnet, and the lower edge of the grille is an angry metallic red – squint at it and it looks like it's got a thick lip.
Inside, red stitching romps across the sports seats and picks out the edges of the dash and door trims. The steering wheel is tiny yet somehow still manages to obscure the instruments. Who cares, you'll only have eyes for that endless grey ribbon.
Overall it feels and drives like a well-considered, well-made premium product that Peugeot (and I expect Xavier and his cousins) will feel very proud of.
Saddle up
Brooks, the world leader in making beautiful leather bikes saddles, has just launched the Cambium C17, its first ever not be made from leather. The Cambium is made from a uniquely flexible natural rubber and organic cotton top, enhanced by a thin layer of structural textile for added resilience. This vulcanized waterproof top, which follows the rider's movements, is immediately comfortable, maintenance-free, and highly abrasion-resistant to offer the longevity for which Brooks is legendary. The maintenance-free, waterproof top is designed to follow the rider's movements to deliver immediate comfort and ease of use, while the new construction of Cambium Saddles works like a hammock and delivers comfort while absorbing vibration and shock, performance traditionally found only with natural leather saddles. It costs £125 and is available from brooksengland.com/cambium.
Who is the safest driver on the road?
We all love to hate white-van man and research from Aviva reveals that they are at the top of the list of roadusers who really grind our gears. The WVM is followed closely by the elderly and hard on their tails is the school-run mum. But is there any truth in these stereotypes? To find out Aviva set up a challenge to discover who really is the safest on the road. They found three challengers – a white-van man, a granny and school-run mum – and put them to the test by F1 legend Johnny Herbert before setting off to do 200 miles of driving with the Aviva Drive app. And the results were a bit of a surprise: the white-van man is in fact the safest on the road, scoring 9.2 out of 10 on the test – well above the national average of 7. To see how these driver stereotypes fared visit: facebook.com/AvivaUK.
Wilton Classic Supercars
If you like grand houses and beautiful cars, this event at Wilton House on the outskirts of Salisbury makes a wonderful day out. Now in its fifth year, the 2013 showcase on 4 August will boast more than £5m of historic metal. Co-founded by Lord Pembroke (above) and Jay Broom, the day is sponsored by Castrol EDGE. Some of the cars at this year's show include the Aston Martin DB5 that starred in Skyfall, a 1956 Jaguar D Type, a Bugatti Veyron, a
Lamborghini Aventador roadster and the latest Bentley GT V8. As well as this there will be 100 Astons representing 100 years of Aston Martin. These will be joining hundreds of other cars and an expected 10,000 visitors can admire them while strolling round the grounds of Wilton House. All this and plenty of entertainment, air displays, food outlets and trade stands as well as a spectacular adventure playground for the kids when they get bored of looking at cars. What's not to like? It's a great day out. For more information on the schedule, ticket prices and how to get there, go to wiltonclassicandsupercars.co.uk.
Email Martin at martin.love@observer.co.uk or visit guardian.co.uk/profile/martinlove for all his reviews in one place
