The PGO Cévennes is the second model of the French sports car maker PGO Automobiles, an open two-seater in a deliberate 1950s style. It was developed from the Speedster II, shares its platform and much of its technology with the Hemera, and was updated in 2012 with a PSA/BMW engine, a new cabin and a six-speed gearbox.
PGO Cévennes at a glance
| Maker | PGO Automobiles, Alès, France |
|---|---|
| Body | two-door, two-seater roadster |
| First shown | 2008 Paris Motor Show; French Wikipedia dates the model from 2005 |
| Platform | P2, the platform of the P22 concept, shared with the PGO Hemera |
| Design inspiration | Porsche 356A |
| Engine, first phase | Peugeot 2.0-litre, 140 hp |
| Engine, from 2012 | PSA/BMW Prince 1.6-litre, 184 hp |
| Top speed | 215 km/h with 140 hp; 225 km/h with 184 hp |
| CO2 | 185 g/km, 175 g/km with the 1.6 Prince engine |
| Gearbox | six-speed with cruise control from 2012 |
| Weight | 980 kg, 998 kg after the 2012 update |
Written from the French and German Wikipedia articles on the Cévennes, with the company background from the English article on PGO Automobiles. The sources disagree on the start of production, so both dates are given.
History of the PGO Cévennes
The Cévennes is named after the Cévennes mountains in southern France, the range around Alès, where PGO has its works. It was built on the P2 platform of the P22 concept presented a year earlier and shares its technology with the Hemera; the two differ in their bodies, the Hemera being a shooting brake and the Cévennes an open retro-look roadster. The Porsche 356A served as the model, which is why the car is often called a replica. The Cévennes also has a front bumper of its own, and its mirrors sit on the A-pillars instead of on the doors as on the Hemera. Both cars were designed on the modular principle, which saves considerable cost in production.
First phase, from 2005
PGO developed the Cévennes from the Speedster II. French Wikipedia dates the start of production to 2005, while the German page gives the public premiere as the 2008 Paris Motor Show. In 2005 subsidiaries of the Al-Sayer Group bought 51 per cent of the company, and their money paid for the development work that produced the Cévennes roadster, which later appeared in the video game World Racing 2.
Restyle and new engines, 2012
At the 2012 Paris Motor Show PGO showed the restyled Cévennes with the PSA/BMW Prince 1.6-litre engine of 184 hp, replacing the Peugeot 2.0-litre unit of 140 hp. Top speed rose to 225 km/h and CO2 fell to 175 g/km, against 215 km/h and 185 g/km before. A six-speed gearbox and a cruise control arrived with the new engines, and the whole range gained a satellite navigation system, a touchscreen and a new dashboard, windscreen and seats. The extra equipment added 18 kg: the car went from 980 to 998 kg.
Cévennes Turbo-CNG
Before the official premiere, PGO built a special version with the Bavarian supplier BRA GmbH of Schweinfurt and Gasverbund Mittelland AG of Arlesheim. The Cévennes Turbo-CNG has a turbocharged engine designed to run on natural gas or biogas and should be CO2-neutral on biogas alone. With three tanks its range is given as 450 km. It remained a single car because too few orders came in; series production in Schweinfurt was to begin only from 24 orders. It is also the first PGO model developed and built outside France.
Design and features
- 356 silhouette: a retro roadster modelled on the Porsche 356A, with its own front bumper and mirrors on the A-pillars.
- Shared platform: the P2 platform and the technology come from the same kit as the Hemera shooting brake.
- PSA/BMW power: the 2012 update brought the 184 hp Prince 1.6 in place of the 140 hp Peugeot 2.0.
- Modern cabin for a retro car: from 2012 with satellite navigation, a touchscreen and new seats.
- Gas-powered one-off: the Turbo-CNG showed the model could run on biogas.
PGO Cévennes versions
- Cévennes 2.0 (from 2005): the Peugeot-engined 140 hp car, 215 km/h.
- Cévennes 1.6 Prince (from 2012): the restyled car with 184 hp, 225 km/h and a six-speed gearbox.
- Cévennes Turbo-CNG: the natural-gas prototype that stayed a one-off.
The Cévennes was developed from the PGO Speedster, and the other machine under the PGO name on this site is the Taiwanese scooter Big Max. Both are listed in the PGO collection.
Video: Motor Legend – Essai PGO Cévennes
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- PGO Cévennes, French Wikipedia: 2005 launch, 2012 restyle, engines, weight
- PGO Cévennes, German Wikipedia: premiere, platform, Turbo-CNG
- PGO (automobile), English Wikipedia: company history, Al-Sayer stake, World Racing 2
