PGO

Origins & History

PGO Automobiles was founded in 1985 in Alès, in the Gard department of southern France, by Gilles Veyres. The company began as a producer of retro-styled roadsters and coupes inspired by the aesthetic of 1950s and 1960s sports cars — particularly the rounded, flowing forms of American and British roadsters of that era. PGO distinguished itself from British kit car manufacturers by offering fully assembled, road-legal vehicles rather than customer-built kits.

The brand's most famous model — the Cévennes — was named after the scenic mountain range near Alès and became PGO's defining product. Built on a tubular steel chassis with a fibreglass body, the Cévennes used production Peugeot mechanical components for reliability and parts availability, powering the retro body with modern, serviceable powertrains. This combination of vintage appearance and contemporary mechanical reliability gave PGO a practical commercial advantage over pure kit car producers.

PGO has maintained production at a small scale throughout its existence, building cars to customer order and maintaining a philosophy of craftsmanship over volume. The brand's survival over four decades as a small French sports car producer reflects a genuine and loyal customer base among European enthusiasts who appreciate the combination of retro aesthetics, French character, and open-top driving pleasure that PGO consistently delivers.

Key Milestones

Notable Models

PGO produces a focused range of retro-styled sports cars, each hand-built at the Alès workshop and characterised by fibreglass coachwork, Peugeot mechanical components, and open-top driving enjoyment.

Craftsmanship & Mechanical Philosophy

PGO's technical approach combines traditional French coachbuilding craft with pragmatic use of production car components — fibreglass bodywork over tubular steel frames, powered by Peugeot engines that ensure parts availability and straightforward maintenance throughout France and Europe.

• Fibreglass body construction — PGO's hand-laid fibreglass bodies allow complex curves and retro forms to be produced at low volume without the tooling investment that metal stamping would require; each body has a distinctive handmade character
• Peugeot mechanical foundation — using Peugeot engines, gearboxes, and suspension components provides a reliable, well-understood mechanical base with comprehensive parts availability throughout France and neighbouring countries; simplifying ownership and maintenance
• Tubular steel chassis — the welded steel tube chassis provides the torsional stiffness needed for sporting roadster handling while being straightforward to produce and repair in a small workshop environment
• Open workshop production — PGO's small Alès workshop allows significant customer involvement in vehicle specification, with buyers able to discuss colour, upholstery, and mechanical specification choices directly with the production team

PGO in Azerbaijan

PGO vehicles are not present in Azerbaijan — the brand sells primarily within France and to a small number of enthusiast buyers in neighbouring European countries. Any PGO appearing in Azerbaijan would be an extremely unusual vehicle, almost certainly the result of personal importation by an enthusiast.

For Azerbaijani sports car lovers who appreciate retro aesthetics and European craftsmanship, PGO represents an interesting corner of French automotive culture — a reminder that France has a tradition of small, characterful sports car production alongside its mainstream manufacturers.

Why PGO Matters

• French retro sports car tradition: PGO maintains a tradition of handcrafted French sports car production that traces its spirit back to the Facel Vega and Talbot-Lago era — demonstrating that France's sporting automotive heritage is not only the preserve of major manufacturers.
• Practical retro formula: By using production Peugeot components in retro-styled bodies, PGO solved the practicality problem that limits many specialist sports car producers — creating cars that look dramatic but can be serviced at any Peugeot dealer across France.
• Artisan survival story: PGO's survival as an active French car producer for four decades demonstrates that small-scale, craft-based automotive production can remain commercially viable when producing vehicles that express a genuine alternative to mainstream cars.
• Southern French character: PGO's location in the Languedoc and its naming of models after local geographical features gives the brand a strong sense of regional identity that distinguishes it from both Parisian mainstream manufacturers and British kit car producers.

Iconic Models in Pictures

PGO vehicles — a visual selection of the iconic models produced by this manufacturer.

PGO Hemera

PGO Speedster II