Santa will come early for Premier Jennifer Smith when she is presented today with a brand new official car to replace the old GP1.

The Peugeot 607, worth $62,000, will be handed over for use by the Premier instead of her present BMW, which is being taken out of service due to old age and mechanical problems.

After a comprehensive canvas of the various options available, Government decided on the French model because it proved to be the most economical and appropriate for the replacement of GP1.

Works and Engineering Minister Alex Scott said: "It will be of interest to the general public to know that the Peugeot 607 represents the introduction of the first of this series of prestigious Peugeot cars throughout Europe by the Peugeot manufacturer.

"Further, the Premier has always insisted that we find a modest solution in terms of the cost of any new car that was to be used for her use.

"Therefore, when the purchase price of this new vehicle ($62,000) is compared to that of the cost of replacing the old GP1 with a new version of the same model ($114,000), the Peugeot represents a considerable cost saving to the taxpayer.'' Premier goes for Peugeot look Commenting generally about the management of the Government Personnel cars, Mr. Scott said the purchase of the new car represented the policy of continuing to replace aging vehicles in the GP executive fleet by having them cascade down the line of the fleet to the GP pool and then out of service when they became mechanically inoperable.

However, Mr. Scott said the plan for GP1 was to have it exported for sale outside of Bermuda.

The petrol-driven 607 can either have a 2.2 litre or 3.0 litre engine and can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 9.6 seconds.

The 2.2 version has a top speed of 136 mph and is 191.68 inches long -- more than 22 inches longer than the permitted car size in Bermuda.

Early Christmas present: Premier Jennifer Smith will today be presented with her brand new official car, a Peugeot 607. It is the latest edition to roll off the Peugeot production lines.

TRANSPORTATION TRA