Peugeot on pole

The latest version of the lickety-split Peugeot 206 GTi landed on the Auckland wharf a few hours ago. It's called the GTi 180 and occupies pole position in the range. The 180 represents the 180bhp (133kW) the car's 2-litre engine produces at 7300rpm. Maximum torque of 202Nm kicks in at 4750rpm. Top speed is 220km/h. The engine is a development of the standard 206 GTi unit, which produces 100kW. Brakes and suspension in the 180 have been revised to handle the extra performance demands. It also gets ESP (electronic stability programme) to help to prevent the careless driver from sticking the little hatchback in the trees.

DOGGONE PENALTY

A colleague drove into the public carpark at the Auckland City Council to pay annual dog registration. Couldn't find a park and didn't wait for one because a tow-truck was hanging around and tangling up cars going in and out of the place. So his wife double-parked across the street while he went in to pay for pooch. He came out swearing revenge at the ballot box. The registration fee cost him $127.50 - $42.50 more than the $85 he expected to pay. Why? He was eight days over the July 31 deadline, wasn't he? So the council stuck him with a 50 per cent penalty. The dog registration form carries a warning of a penalty for late payment. But nowhere does it say anything about 50 per cent. Oh yes, the tow truck was still there when he left. It was waiting to pick pockets, too.

TRACKING THE CHASE

Many inquiries about the availability here of the French car-chase film C'etait un Rendezvous. Two months ago this column said that the video was available online at www.spiritlevelfilm.com. We also said that the Auckland motoring bookshop Ecurie Lievre Ltd was trying to track it down. Ecurie Lievre did, from a British supplier. But the cost was prohibitive, something like $90 for just nine minutes and 30 seconds of car action.

All is not lost, however. Rendezvous is being re-released on DVD in Britain and Ecurie Lievre is seeing if it can land it here for a more reasonable price. Watch this space.

The film was made in 1976 by Claude Lelouch, who directed the 1966 French romantic hit A man and a Woman. Lelouch mounted a camera on a V12 Ferrari and took off at dawn on a high-speed drive through Paris. But he was arrested the first time he publicly showed the film and it went underground for 25 years. Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson said "it makes Bullitt look like a cartoon."

BEATLES IN YOUR BEETLE

Volkswagen in the United States has launched www.radiovw.com , a radio network playing music from emerging artists through to Ella Fitzgerald. Buyers of the New Beetle can take the music from their home computers on to the road - thanks to a free Apple iPod MP3 player and an adapter kit for the car's stereo.

We are the world Queen Elizabeth so liked the Bentley limousine she was given during the Jubilee celebrations that she wants another one, reports Auto Express. Problem is, the car was a one-off, which has meant that Volkswagen engineers are hunting for left-over parts to try to put a replica together. "She'll have to pay this time," a VW insider told the British newspaper.