History Car 1990s

Peugeot 106 Maxi / S16 Kit Car

Overview Specs Highlights Characteristics

Overview

The Peugeot 106 Maxi / S16 archive title covers several related, but technically different, late-1990s 106 rally builds. The homologated Peugeot 106 S16 road-derived competition platform supported Group N and Group A cars, kit-car evolutions and customer trophy machines. '106 Maxi' was used for widened, highly developed configurations rather than every 106 S16 rally entry.

These were small-capacity, normally aspirated, front-wheel-drive rally cars, not turbocharged World Rally Cars. Their appeal lay in relatively compact packaging, responsive high-revving engines and a progression path for up-and-coming drivers.

Technical Specs & Innovations

  • FIA homologation: A-5565, Peugeot 106 S16 Group A, 2 March 1997; separately listed Group N homologation used the same number.
  • FIA engine capacity: Homologated road-derived capacity 1,587 cc (approximately 1.6 litres); kit-car builds may cite 1,596 cc for particular competition engines.
  • Engine family: PSA TU5J4 normally aspirated 1.6-litre inline-four; front transverse, DOHC, 16 valves.
  • Competition variations: 106 S16 Group N, Group A/Kit and Maxi were not identical engine specifications; FIA lists 1997 and 1998 VK engine/dimension extensions.
  • Induction: Naturally aspirated; motorsport intake, camshaft and electronic engine-management options depended on homologated kit and national class.
  • Documented Maxi example: A reproduced 106 Maxi technical sheet describes a 225 hp TU5J4 development and a six-speed dog-engagement competition gearbox; it is a specific Maxi specification, not an ordinary 106 S16 figure.
  • Period crew example: Sébastien Loeb's own records also show a 1997 Peugeot 106 Rallye 1600 listed at 1,596 cc and 225 hp. That does not establish the specification of every Group N or Maxi 106.
  • Transmission: Front-wheel drive with competition gear ratios and limited-slip differential options; period Maxi technical listings include a six-speed BE-family gearbox.
  • Chassis: Three-door steel hatchback with safety cage; wider arches and related bodywork were available under Kit Car extensions.
  • Front suspension: MacPherson struts and competition suspension geometry/dampers.
  • Rear suspension: Torsion-beam trailing-arm-type rear layout, modified for rally use within homologation options.
  • Competition brakes: Larger ventilated front discs and rally calipers on Maxi options; precise diameter varied with chassis and asphalt/gravel setup.
  • Rally tyres/wheels: Wheel and tyre choice varied by surface; a high-spec asphalt 106 Maxi should not be used as the universal technical template for a Group N 106.
  • Weight caveat: A roughly 880 kg figure appears for a documented high-performance 106 Maxi/Rallye competition example, not the weight of every homologated S16.

Homologation versus kit: The FIA explicitly lists A-5565 with different Group A, Group N and VK extensions. A published 1,596 cc Maxi figure and the FIA base 1,587 cc figure are different reference configurations, not proof one is mistaken.

Model naming: The 106 Maxi is not the later Peugeot 206 WRC and should not inherit that car's turbocharged or AWD specifications.

🏆 Competitive Highlights

  • 1997: Peugeot 106 S16 Group A homologation took effect; the kit extensions supported continued development of national and customer competition builds.
  • 1997 driver-development example: Sébastien Loeb recorded an eighth-place finish in the 106 talent competition (Volant 106) in a Peugeot 106 Rallye 1600 programme.
  • Late 1990s: The 106's main achievements were in junior, national, one-make, class and lower-capacity rally competition rather than outright World Rally Championship victories.
  • Race-result caution: Do not transfer wins achieved by a Peugeot 306 Maxi or a later Peugeot 206 WRC onto this car simply because they all belong to Peugeot's rally history.
  • Customer legacy: Competition 106s remained useful and comparatively accessible for local rally crews beyond the principal factory development years.

Driving Characteristics

The short, light 106 had less mass to rotate through tight asphalt sections than the larger two-litre F2 kit cars, but it also had less displacement. Extracting speed depended on keeping the high-revving TU-series engine within its effective power band, managing front differential behaviour and avoiding excessive front tyre scrub.

Group N customer 106s were closer to production specification than fully developed Maxi kit cars. Drivers would experience different braking, damping and gearbox responses depending on the actual preparation.

Development & legacy

The useful historical story is not one mythical '106 Maxi specification' but the branching ladder from S16 homologation to different Group A/N, kit and customer programmes. Treating each preparation honestly makes the 106 archive far more useful for restorers and rally historians.

Research sources & verification

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