When I went to Bulgaria and Romania to experience the car graveyards of those nations in November, I was focused on finding examples of Cold War-era Soviet Empire machinery. Just in passing at one yard near the Black Sea, I took a handful of quick shots of a Peugeot that seemed a bit strange. What was it?
It turns out to be a Peugeot 309, a genuine oddball of a liftback sedan with an uncanny resemblance to the Dodge Shadow and Plymouth Sundance.
Most of the employees at the boneyards I visited on this trip seemed to think I was some kind of weird German undercover cop looking for stolen cars and wouldn’t let me take a look at their inventory. The folks at this facility were a bit more friendly, mostly because they had a Soviet motorcycle they wanted to sell me.
Yes, a beautifully original IZH 56 (Иж-56) of late-1950s/early-1960s vintage, which I could have bought for just €2,000. Arranging to ship this fine machine home would have taken more time than I had and likely would have cost much more than the purchase price, but I was still very tempted.
I also got to lay eyes on a genuine, numbers-matching Opel Corsa Swing In.
The 309 began life as the successor to the Talbot Horizon, which was built by Peugeot as part of the deal after buying the Rootes Group from Chrysler. This Peugeot 205-related little car was supposed to be badged as the Talbot Arizona, but ended up as the 309.
The 309 was built in France, the UK, India and Chile, from 1985 through 1994.
You probably could find a slightly-more-than-nothing amount of common DNA between this car and the Plymouth Sundance, into which some Omnirizon genetic material could have found its way. Yes, the Sundance was a member of the K Family, but you never know.
I would have shot more photos of this car, but then learned that there was a Trabant elsewhere in the yard and hurried over there.
The Lion goes from strength to strength.
This is one of the most intensely 1980s car commercials I’ve ever seen.
[Images: The Author]
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