Peugeot calls this drop-top the 207 Epure Concept, but don't let that fool you: the only conceptual thing here is the Genepac fuel cell that powers it. What you are really looking at is the all-new 207CC, due in May, albeit with conventional power.
To be unveiled at the Paris motor show later this month, the Epure Concept precedes a production-ready 207CC, pencilled in for a premiere at the Geneva show in March.
The car’s architecture remains true to that of its highly successful predecessor, the 206CC, which created its own niche when it was released in 2000, becoming Britain’s biggest-selling convertible between 2002 and 2004.
The Epure certainly looks more fluid than its predecessor, thanks in part to a tidier, less bloated rear. The electro-hydraulic folding roof mechanism is similar to the 206's, while the larger platform means that the rear seats are now much more usable.
Up front, the gaping grille is straight from the new 207 hatchback, as will be the range of power units behind it. This is likely to include both normally aspirated and turbocharged versions of the 1.6-litre engine it has developed with BMW, and which is used in the new Mini, along with a 1.6-litre diesel.
The Epure, however, uses electric motors, with hydrogen from cylinders under the boot floor being mixed with oxygen in the fuel cell to create electricity. Top speed is only 81mph, and 0-62mph takes 15 seconds, but the only emission is water and the Epure has a range of 218miles.
The Epure uses an electro-hydraulic folding roof mechanism like the 206's, while the 207's larger platform means that the rear seats are now much more usable.
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