PEUGEOT'S victorious sweep of the first three places at this year's Le Mans 24 Hour race shows that French car makers have still got what it takes to be world-beaters.
The Peugeot 905 race cars held back the might of the Toyota team to give the home crowds something to celebrate.
The 905 is the pride of Peugeot, but it is the smart little 205 that led the car out of the financial wilderness 10 years ago, and the 205 is still a good seller today.
Many motor industry observers had written Peugeot off as a has-been before the launch of the 205, the car maker having seemed to have lost direction and its products lacked the imagination and flair for which the French are famous.
But the Pininfarina-styled 205 was a bundle of chic fashion that was leaps and bounds ahead of the competition.
The trend-setting shape, innovative engineering and plain cuteness of the 205 re-established Peugeot's credibility and, indeed, the credibility of the entire French car industry.
