New Peugeot 207 CC goes Elle for leather

The all-new Peugeot 207 CC Elle Limited Edition will be caught topless in the flashbulbs for summer 2008, as readers of Elle magazine pore over the finished automotive article they helped create.

As the UK’s most desirable convertible already, fashionistas have moved to put the new 207 CC Elle out of reach completely by offering the £18,495 rag-top with the metal folding roof with a host of unique exterior/interior combinations, that will take it from the model-strewn runways to the model-strewn UK highways this summer.

Girls like choices. Whether that be of garish shoes, miniature dogs, satellite dish-sized sunglasses or dangerous men. Unsurprisingly it’s the same story when it comes to cars. They don’t just settle for the first sexy convertible they see. And naturally it’s got to be ultra-exclusive, able to accessorise with their entire wardrobe, flaunt the most stylish label and obviously be the talk of the town.

As part of a competition run by Elle magazine - the girly lifestyle publication read by millions of style-conscious women - it invited its readership to design its own car. Or at the very least choose from a tick-list of exterior and interior colours and designs, with the most popular combinations promised to see the cold, harsh light of day by the French manufacturer. Brave, very brave.

Glamour, Classic, Rock and Urban Peugeot 207 CC Elle on show

Glamour Mode, Classic Couture, Rock Chic and Urban Chic are the four variations on a Peugeot 207 CC theme that everyone agreed on.

Glamour Mode equals Thorium Grey metallic outer fabric, offset with contrasting black leather and Mulberry trim. Classic Couture sees the 207 CC resplendently turned out in Lacerta Yellow, twinned with black leather and graphite-coloured undergarments. Opt for the Rock Chic look, and Diamond Black outerwear is combined with devastating effect with black leather and pale pink interior ensemble. Finally, plump for the Urban Chic, and a classic silver overcoat meets with black leather and bright blue to really turn heads.

A perksome 120bhp, 1.6-litre VTI engine ensures that the 207 CC goes Elle for leather from the lights for the attention-seeking girl about town, whilst 17” Hockenheim alloys and its subtle does-my-bum-look-good-in-this-or-what body styling also shows off a sporty mesh grille. An optional styling upgrade kit is also available with twin front spoilers, twin sports exhaust and twin side skirts.

The interior boasts the reader-chosen leatherwear colour schemes with complementary Elle logos sewn into the front seats, matching hide gear gator surround, leather-trimmed instrument cowling – all with contrasting stitching – and Elle-embroidered floor mats. A leather-wrap steering wheel and leather-bound 207 CC Elle key rings, credit card holders and service wallet escalate the vivid obsession with the soft-touch, soft-porn fabric-of-choice.

Aluminium pedals and gear knob break things up a little, and if you look hard enough drivers will notice dual-zone climate and air-con to bring further cool dimensions to hand and eye.

Peugeot 207 CC Elle designed by women, for women

Focus groups involving women drivers are nothing new, how else do you think some of the enticing and wholly interactive interiors seen, smelled and touched over the past couple of decades evolved? A vague pot pourri aroma resonating from a past its sell by date Magic Tree might maketh a man's car acceptable to man, but women demand more.

Fast forward to 2008, and Peugeot and Elle has concluded its marketing task, only with a more specifically selective, formulaic gene pool bringing its suggestions to the table.