405 Mi16

[FarmerPug]

What ever happened to the 405 Mi16, was it ever sold in the UK, if at all and where is the best place to look for one, also what sort of power has it got, is it rear or 4 wheel drive.

[turbolag]

Ah, the Mi16. I had one, such a beautifully balanced and grippy chassis. My favourite drivers car of all time - a major giant killer on twisty tarmac.
On one memorable drive I held onto the back of a hard driven Elise on the B526 and he couldn't shake me off - his front end was skipping about on the tight corners and the stiff track set up of the Lotus was just wrong for bumpy public tarmac. Best of all, I had 5 sears and a big boot, yet he sacrificed all that for a shower tray on wheels that just couldn't deliver the goods off the track.

Less that 800 showing as taxed with the DVLA, including the Le Mans special edition.

1.9 ph1 fractioannly more powerful, 2.0 phII fractionally torquier and with a slightly revised chassis and stiffer structure.

C.160 BHP in all models, but it's 20kg lighter than a 306, so screwing the nuts off it is a delight.

There was a Fourbie model, all but extinct now. The driveline was fragile and transfer box splines would shred themselves. The 4x4 was only a 1.9 and the extra mass and rolling resistance really robbed the chassis of its sparkle and killed the acceleration back down close to 10 seconds. However, the sone of the 4x4 is the 405 T16, a 210 BHP Cossie killer. Only 4 x 405 T16s officially came to the UK, and one was written off a year or so back. A lad in the PSOOC owns a nice T16, and apart from the wheels being 16" instead of 15", it just looks like a normal Mi. Scorchio!

They go for poor money. I saw a solid and tidy one with no MOT (it had been parked up in a garage for 3 years) fail to sell for £300 on ebay. My phII was not perfect, but still one of the best remaining but I still couldn't sell it, so after a few months just traded it in.

I'd quite like another one to keep as a toy. Yum.

[turbolag]

Ah, the Mi16. I had one, such a beautifully balanced and grippy chassis. My favourite drivers car of all time - a major giant killer on twisty tarmac.
On one memorable drive I held onto the back of a hard driven Elise on the B526 and he couldn't shake me off - his front end was skipping about on the tight corners and the stiff track set up of the Lotus was just wrong for bumpy public tarmac. Best of all, I had 5 sears and a big boot, yet he sacrificed all that for a shower tray on wheels that just couldn't deliver the goods off the track.

Less that 800 showing as taxed with the DVLA, including the Le Mans special edition.

1.9 ph1 fractioannly more powerful, 2.0 phII fractionally torquier and with a slightly revised chassis and stiffer structure.

C.160 BHP in all models, but it's 20kg lighter than a 306, so screwing the nuts off it is a delight.

There was a Fourbie model, all but extinct now. The driveline was fragile and transfer box splines would shred themselves. The 4x4 was only a 1.9 and the extra mass and rolling resistance really robbed the chassis of its sparkle and killed the acceleration back down close to 10 seconds. However, the sone of the 4x4 is the 405 T16, a 210 BHP Cossie killer. Only 4 x 405 T16s officially came to the UK, and one was written off a year or so back. A lad in the PSOOC owns a nice T16, and apart from the wheels being 16" instead of 15", it just looks like a normal Mi. Scorchio!

They go for poor money. I saw a solid and tidy one with no MOT (it had been parked up in a garage for 3 years) fail to sell for £300 on ebay. My phII was not perfect, but still one of the best remaining but I still couldn't sell it, so after a few months just traded it in.

I'd quite like another one to keep as a toy. Yum.

The sad thing is that many Mi engines were robbed for 205 transplants, yet the 405 Mi chassis is far, far, far better than the nervous 205 - it's like nicking a Mitsy Evo engine for your grans disability scooter!

[DRTDVL]

There are a couple people playing around with fitting the evo gearbox and tranfercase to the 405 4bie

[STALLED]

There are a couple people playing around with fitting the evo gearbox and tranfercase to the 405 4bie

I've only ever seen one Mi16x4 - PeterT's car!

Are there many on your side of the ditch?

[DRTDVL]

Yeah ther are a whole bunch... one of the guys i know has 2 and is looking to by a 3rd as spares for one that he's turning into a racecar

[FarmerPug]

Here is another question, is the 604 extinct in the UK all the talk of it being the first car with a turbo diesel engine and still there is absolutley no sign of them.

[turbolag]

There are a few folk in Club Peugeot UK with 604s. A guy in the next village from me has a 203 (he's also in CPUK), so the old pugs are out there if you move in the right circles ;)

[omega]

most m16s have had there engine but into 205/309s
front wheel drive
rev very well,but do have oil surge proplems

[steve_earwig]

I dunno if it applies to the Pugs but their BX 16valve siblings were good at dropping gearboxes

[HimBigChief]

I've had a black phase 1 2wd, white phase 1 4wd and a white phase 2 fwd Mi16's, and it has to be said that the phase 1 2wd was the quickest of the lot, the 4bie was the best handling (obviously) and when lowered there was nothing that could keep up round the twisties. I keep an eye out for cheap Mi16's locally as I'd like another just to keep and return to it's glory as I do miss them and it would be a good match for my 309.

Also, the phase 1 was an alloy blocked 1.9 with 160bhp whereas the phase 2 was a cast iron block 2L with 155bhp but, as mentioned above, more torque. Both great engines, but the power surge from the 1.9 when it came on cam is something else, especially flat out in 2nd, revs hit 4k and off it goes! I used to love racing people round and their delight as they kept up, until it came on cam and off I went whereas they had to change gear! Aah, the memories...

[CountryPug]

I think it may be a fact that the 405 Mi16 was the best car ever made....ever....in my opinion

[turbolag]

I wouldn't disagree too hard with that. Certainly the most beautifully balanced sport saloon ever, and one of the most grippy, neutral, sharp-steered chassis of any car on the road, with none of the harsly sprung twitchiness of modern road-razors like the Elise or Type R.

In fact, all this talk of Mi's is making my trousers tent. If anyone knows of one going, lemme know.

[Welly]

It's a great shame that they didn't carry forward the 405's handling to the 406 - whatever happened?

I had a 1990 G reg 405 GR 1.9 (carb) - mine had the factory mods to stop it playing up when the engine got hot and wouldn't re-start (fuel problem?). Lovely car though and the power was spot on

[turbolag]

I didn't find the 406s chassis behaviour bad at all - it was the feel that let it down, but a skilled driver with commitment can make it corner just dandy.