Peugeot 306 S16 gendarmerie. The BRI goes down in range without wincing

A compact sedan instead of a wagon. Only two-wheel drive instead of four. Not to mention a marked drop in power and torque, the fault of the lack of turbo. When they exchanged their 405 T16 for a 306 S16 from 1997, the gendarmes of the rapid intervention brigade (BRI) had to accept a descent into range.

However, they did not totally lose in the process in the operation. ” It was a question of budget and also of lightness of the vehicle »Explains Jean-Yves Hardouin, the referent for mechanical memory at the Musée de la Gendarmerie. The 405 could pass for a featherweight today with its 1340 kg, but the 306 was indeed still much better in this area, thanks to its announced 1,215 kg.

BRI’s first six-speed gearbox

To limit the loss of performance, the police also waited for phase 2 of the 306 S16, which appeared in April 1997. Rid of the ACAV system (Admission à Characteristique Acoustique Variable) which had never really convinced, it sees its power increase from 150 to 167 hp while gaining a six-speed manual transmission. A first for a production Peugeot as well as for the BRI. Add to it a particularly successful chassis, and you have one of the benchmarks in the compact sports category at the time. Youngtimer enthusiasts are not mistaken, and the odds of the most beautiful 306 S16 BV6 have already climbed.

Eight times more copies than for the 405!

Within the Gendarmerie, this very agile lioness will have a great career. No less than 80 units will be used, eight times more than for the 405 T16. What better way to monitor the entire French motorway network, without leaving any white areas. Only replaced from 2006 by the Subaru Impreza WRX, the Sochaux will also have had the opportunity to demonstrate all the reliability of its 2.0 four-cylinder naturally aspirated engine. In some cases, the odometer will exceed the 250,000 km mark, normally synonymous with retirement. On the other hand, unlike the Mégane RS used in the 2010s, it will not be entitled to any mechanical preparation.

A blue gendarmerie present in the catalog

To join the ranks of the BRI, the 306 S16 was therefore satisfied with a few classic modifications, sometimes carried out by the bodybuilder Gruau, sometimes by Durisotti: fitting of markings and a rotating beacon, addition of a radio to communicate in the passenger compartment… We also note the presence of a second interior mirror. ““It was for the patrol leader, he could see the vehicles in the back like that,” says Jean-Yves Hardouin. He helped the pilot to intervene on the vehicles of offenders. ““ As for the blue gendarmerie which dressed the bodywork, it did not need to be painted again. It was then a special color present in the Peugeot catalog, for a supplement of around € 300. A choice that is no longer offered by the brand, forcing the recent 5008 delivered to the gendarmes to dress in two very different types of blue.

The main technical characteristics

• Engine: four-cylinder in-line, 1,998 cc³, atmospheric, 16 valves
• Maximum power: 167 hp @ 6,500 rpm
• Maximum torque: 193 Nm at 5,500 rpm
• Transmission: traction, 6-speed manual gearbox
• Weight: 1215 kg
• Dimensions (L x W x H): 4.03 x 1.68 x 1.32 m
• 0 to 100 km / h: 8.2 s
• Max speed: 218 km / h

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