PEUGEOT TO MAKE SPARES FOR CLASSICS
France’s biggest carmaker announces huge new parts drive for Peugeots and Citroëns – will Vauxhall and Opel bits come next?
Classic owners in the UK have welcomed moves from PSA – the parent company of Peugeot and Citroën – to supply thousands of new parts for both firms’ classic models from next month.
The new spare parts drive, due to be launched on 1 May, will be funded by L’Aventure Peugeot Citroën DS, a non-profit organisation run at arm’s length from the manufacturer, with up to 14,000 parts being made available online – but the initiative doesn’t cover sister brands Opel or Vauxhall.
A L’Aventure Peugeot Citroën DS spokesman says: ‘ We have taken the views of clubs, collectors and associations into account to help identify the areas that need the most attention for parts.’
France’s biggest carmaker is about to launch a huge new parts operation catering for classic Citroëns and Peugeots.
PSA – the parent company behind the two Gallic manufacturers, as well as Opel and Vauxhall – will launch a new online shop to sell the parts across the globe, with a Peugeot UK spokesman confirming to CCW that the venture is to launch on 1 May. The classic car initiative will be funded by L’Aventure Peugeot Citroën DS, a non-profit organisation run separately from the manufacturer’s main businesses.
It will feature 14,000 parts, including around 160 reproduced lines under the L’Aventure Peugeot Classic or Citroën Heritage Classic label. Additionally, it will provide a direct link to existing French car parts specialist, Néo Rétro, which will boost the parts in stock by an additional 3000. A spokesperson for L’Aventure Peugeot Citroën DS, said: ‘ We cannot take pleasure in our own heritage collection if there aren’t classics from our past out there living and running on the roads too. L’Aventure Peugeot Citroën DS has embarked on this major programme to provide spare parts from the brand’s historic inventory and to re-manufacture those that have run out.
‘It is now a priority issue for PSA. We have taken the views of clubs, collectors and associations into account to help identify the areas that need the most attention for parts.
For those parts that have totally disappeared or are quickly exhausting, new productions have already started. We will continue to expand what we reproduce to meet growing demand from enthusiasts.’
PSA is already reproducing parts for the Peugeot 104, 204, 205, 309, 403, 404, 405, 504 and 306, but support will be expanded to historic Citroën models and the new website will focus on pulling everything together in an easy to use format with modern e-commerce functionality. It declined to comment on whether it is considering investment into supporting Vauxhall, Opel and Bedford classic parts.
Clubs in the UK catering for classic Citroën and Peugeot models have welcomed the move, and said that it will make it easier to get hold of spares vital for restorations and keeping cars on the road.
Club Peugeot UK chairman, Ian Kirkwood, says: ‘It has previously been quite difficult to get parts from France, where the majority are held.
‘ You may have been able to order parts through PSA if you managed to find the right email address and asked the right questions. It was previously quite secretive and difficult to actually pay. This brings things into the 21st century.’