‘Peugeot never built a 309 estate, so I decided I would!’ ‘It’s one of the tidiest I’ve seen’
1990 Peugeot 309 Estate Mike Parry, Gloucester 1984 Rover Vitesse Scott Smallridge & Georgie Edgington
Where did the idea come from?
'My dad bought one in 1999 when I was in my early teens and I always thought it would make a good estate. I remember sketching out designs and reckoned it looked possible. Go forwards a few years and I bought my own 309 at the age of 23, when I had a job working in a scrapyard. I spent a lot of time around cars being scrapped at the time, so it gave me the chance to inspect old cars to see how they all go together. With more than a few 309s coming through, I could closely analyse the way they were built.'
What exactly happened to your car?
'Well, it was supposed to be my sensible daily driver, as I owned a Reliant Robin and an MG Magnette at the time, but I couldn’t help myself! I took some measurements, having spotted a late-nineties VW Polo tailgate in a scrapyard, and here we are! I collected three or four tailgates to use them as target practice, but it actually worked on the first attempt. So, my car began life as a 1.3-litre petrol hatchback in white and it’s now a red 1.9litre turbodiesel estate!''
How tricky was it?
'I’ve been experimenting with steelwork for many years. I made the curvy bits on the English wheel and the rain gutters on a press brake. The clamshell tailgate is actually much lighter than the original tailgate, because it doesn't have a mass of heavy glass in it. It’s on the same struts and hinges, but I made the windows out of lightweight polycarbonate. In the end, I checked and I didn’t need to declare any of this as a modification – because the car is essentially the same as a normal hatchback, the insurance company were happy to put it down as a spoiler!'
Any difficulties?
'The paintwork was a real challenge for me. I didn’t know what I was doing and my first attempt backfired.
I tried again, but it was still rubbish the fourth time. Having done most of the rest of the work myself,
I wasn’t happy – I’d had enough of the paint, so I got a mate to do it in 2K gloss earlier this year. I’ve since learned a few lessons – I don’t give up easily!
Sometimes, you have an old car part that means a lot to you – and for me, it's my Granada MKI steering wheel. For personal reasons, I was keen to fit it, so did. It’s probably worth more than the rest of the car!'
And now you have the most unique 309 in the world!
'I don’t understand why Peugeot never made it. It’s so spacious and usable as a daily driver. I’m quite proud of the job and especially pleased with the coke-bottle door-line at the back. I’m also glad so say it has a lot more power than it used to have, too. I fitted a 1.9-litre engine from a 306, complete with intercooler. It also has 309 GTI suspension and brake system upgrades. I’m based in Gloucester, but this is my daily car and I regularly drive up to Newcastle for work. It goes nicely, stops well and you can obviously fit loads of stuff in the back as well!'
Scott: This car spent most of its life in Cyprus, then it was brought over here and put in a barn and wasn’t touched for several years. I work on farms quite a lot, so I spotted it a few years ago and came to a deal with the owner. I brought it home, washed it off, and it’s one of the tidiest I’ve ever seen – not inside, but rust-wise. It’s being very good to me… other than the fuel consumption, that is!
I bought this 1958 Ford F100 pick-up truck locally last year and I’ve ploughed every spare minute I have into making it the way I want it to be. The project is still ongoing, so there’s still loads to do, but the first priority was just to get it on the road.
My main reason for buying it was for towing the Airstream caravan that I bought last year.
It’s got a BMW 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine from an E61 5-Series, so not only does it go well, but it also does reasonable miles per gallon as well – it’s quite a practical classic, in fact.
I’m going to keep the bodywork in its patinated state, but I’ve got some steel wheels being made at the moment, and some shiny hubcaps to go on it…