WITH summer fast approaching, the appeal of a convertible car becomes ever stronger, and Peugeot may well have the answers.

Hot on the heels of success with its 206 range which has been the UK’s best selling car for three consecutive years comes a limited convertible version, the 206CC, and a new edition of its big brother the 307CC.

First unveiled in 2000, the 206 was praised as heralding a new era for affordable coupe cabriolet designs.

Its two big selling points were its ability to seat four and a retractable metal roof that folds in seconds. These winning features have been retained for the 2004 range.

Prices for the 206CC start from a competitive £14,920 for a standard version, but the special edition Quicksilver model, being produced in a run of just 1000, is available from £14,995, finished in metallic silver kit.

The 206 Quicksilver is based on the petrol model, but benefits from alloy wheels, aluminium rear safety roll-over arches, leather-effect instrument binnacle with aluminium dial backgrounds and Quicksilver branding on its seats, door panels, glove box and floor mats.

It also has aluminium pedals, gear stick and door sill kick plates with a silver grey coloured centre console making it one of the cars to be seen in this summer.

- The Quicksilver, which will be available from this month has a 1.6 petrol engine.

- 16in alloy wheels.

- electric folding roof on all models.

- air conditioning standard on all models.

The 307CC was originally launched last autumn to wide acclaim.

It was hailed for affording practical, four seat open top motoring.

It is now available with either a 2.0 litre 138bhp unit or a high performance 2.0 litre engine which first made its appearance in the 206 Gti 180.

Again, prices weigh in favourably from £18,340 on the road.

In addition to generous levels of standard equipment, the 307CC is also one of the safest convertibles on the road.

It boasts six air-bags and an automatic roll-over protection system, all valuable features designed to ensure that families are kept safe.

All CC models are available with a variety of optional extras. These include leather upholstery, “Tiptronic” automatic gearboxes and Peugeot's Rt3 integrated telematics system.