THE arrival of my Peugeot 207 CC was preceded - as seems to be normal when I get a convertible - with a spell of wet weather.
But even the clouds couldn't dull the appearance of one of the nicest coupe convertibles I have seen in along time.
Even by 207 standards this one looked special. The exterior was a smart metallic black, but it was the interior which set it apart from others of its kind that I had seen.
The £1,500 optional leather pack meant a red and black colour scheme which not only meant the seats were emblazoned in the two colours but also the top half of the dashboard had a red leather covering, contrasting with the black plastic of the lower half. It might sound a bit over the top but it was certainly an interior that caught everyone's attention.
The 207 CC is by far the most dashing of Peugeot's CC line up. It's sleek, sporty and highly manoeuvrable when it comes to parking in tight spots.
This GT version had sporty, body hugging seats, aluminium pedals and a red and black leather steering wheel.
The GT costs around £1,300 more than the Sport models but you do get a lot more for your money, including dual zone climate control rather than manual air conditioning, electronic stability controls, rear parking sensors, directional headlights and 17 rather than 16-inch alloys.
The 207CC is not really designed for four adults. There are two proper seats in the rear but it is the legroom which dictates that your rear seat passengers are more likely to be children.
Space for luggage, on the other hand is not an issue, certainly if the folding roof hasn't been lowered.
Like all cars which have metal folding roofs the 207 CC has to have a pretty enormous boot to accommodate all that metal when the sun shines. The bonus of this is that with the roof still in place there is enough space for a good selection of suitcases as well as the proverbial kitchen sink.
With a 1.6 HDi, 110bhp diesel engine under the bonnet this little car gives spirted acceleration if you wind the revs up and it is more than happy at high speeds on the motorway although wind noise levels seemed higher than on the hatchback.
The diesel engine comes mated to a five speed manual gearbox which is not really the slickest in town for such a sporty car.
Two other negative points I found with the car included the lack of space between the clutch and the trim on the left side of the footwell making it difficult to slip your foot onto the footrest, and the creaking of the roof area as it flexed while driving. It was not clear whether this was the roof itself or the plastic trim on the inside of the roof but either way it was irritating and seemed to vary according to outside temperature.
What was impressive about this diesel was how frugal it was. I averaged just over 50 miles per gallon, making the 207 HDi CC a good long distance cruiser.
In truth people buy a CC for the chance to enjoy open top motoring and in this respect the car scores well. The roof folds and lowers neatly into the boot area in 25 seconds, at the touch of a button. A second centre console button then allows you to raise all the windows in one go, and with these in place I found the car was surprisingly wind free, especially as it didn't have a wind deflector.
FAST FACTS
Peugeot 207 CC GT HDi 110 FAP
Price: £17,595
Mechanical: 110bhp, 1,560cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 5spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 119mph
0-62mph: 10.9 secs
Combined mpg: 56.4
Insurance group: 9
CO2 emissions: 130g/km
BiK rating: 18%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles, 3yrs paint, 12yrs anti-rust