Is there a price that a French car should not exceed?
Presented at €105,000, to which must be added a “small” gross €2,370, the Alpine A110 R is the most radical of the berlinettas. But above all, apart from the Bugattis (the Chiron hypercars assembled in Alsace that are actually tricolor), the A110 R is the most expensive model in French production.
Alpine A110 R, “R” as a curse?
For lovers, inveterate track racers, as the saying goes: when you love, you don’t count Especially beyond a toy destined for the circuit, it will also be an investment. The A110 R is already a potential collector. And what about its limited series of thirty-two units to match the number of Formula One Grand Prix victories champion Fernando Alonso signed with this car invoiced at €148,000?
A DS9 for around €90,000
At premium brand DS, we also know how to have a heavy hand for the customer’s wallet. Witness the DS9 Opéra Première E-Tense 4×4 360 priced at around €90,000. A luxurious, fully equipped version of the grand tourer was unveiled at the Mondial de l’Auto in Paris in October. A very nice sedan, which should not run on the streets even in front of ministries because of its production in China. damage
508 PSE, a bad sign for a line
His mechanical “alter-ego” at Peugeot, the 508 PSE (list price from €68,550) is certainly a technological display of the lion’s knowledge, but in terms of letting people know, it remains very cautious, far from the best- seller. , production was just shy of exceeding 2,000 units. Too little distribution, de facto nipping projects to extend the PSE (Peugeot Sport Engineered) label initially. An abstruse acronym that should designate “new” partially electrified GTIs. There is no 3008 PSE, no 308 PSE, even less than a 408 PSE that nevertheless has a card to play. Even the Peugeot e-208 PSE, the ideal rival of the future Alpine 5. And if, on the contrary, Peugeot started this legend from the bottom and imposed its supercharged 208 things would be different.
However, in the early 1980s, Renault was not afraid to charge 115,000 francs, or 4 times more than the basic version, its R5 Turbo. Before the war, the specific bodywork that was done individually by seasoned masters such as Delage, Derahaye and other Bugattis (they still are) was firmly rooted in the French automotive tradition. But then, a completely different path, following a radically different economic model, took over. A more pragmatic era, large series and famous models immediately condemn the dreams of luxury and grandeur.
Safrane Biturbo, the last of the last
However, some attempts were made, such as those made by Henri Chapron on Citroën bases, in addition to the DS cabriolets, the rare SM Opera sedan (see our photo gallery), produced in 8 units each invoiced 165,000 francs, i.e. triple a cut of the SM that serves as a base. The coachbuilder Heuliez produced several Peugeot 604 limousines at a price of 82,000 francs (including 20,000 for the change characterized by an extension of 62 cm) and Renault 25s, which are also stretched. Last last stand in the diamond range, the Renault Safrane Biturbo with 268 hp under the hood for a tidy sum of 428,000 francs, the equivalent today of almost €93,000.
Talbot Tagora, the unloved salesman
The Talbot Tagora which in the mid-1980s was boasted as the most powerful French car with its 165 hp was charged 80,000 francsbut in the Peugeot-Talbot network, sellers of 604s soaped the board.
At Peugeot, there is no shortage of ideas…
At Peugeot, replicas of premium sports cars from across the Rhine remained at the prototype stage, the 607 Pescarollo, Peugeot 907 V12 engine and recently the Peugeot e-Legend electric coupe testify to this. For the latter, the economic equation that makes an investment of more than 250 million euros profitable requires a sale price of more than 80,000 € and above all the search of at least 20,000 buyers. The mission is almost impossible.
