Mankee Cheng’s Citroën AX 1.3 Rallye
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PPC contributor Mankee Cheng’s “junior” track project is, like his 106 Rallye, also a Peugeot/Citroën mutant.
He bought a virtually standard but ropey Citroën AX GTi in June 2006, which was perfect as a last-minute entry to the Scumball 2006 charity event to the Nürburgring. The challenge was to drive a sub-£1,000 car to the Petrolhead Mecca, make it eight times around the 14-mile circuit and then back home again without breaking down.
By some huge miracle, Mankee’s AX made it back under its own steam somehow, even though it was spun off the world’s most dangerous toll road not once but twice.
The AX was well and truly knackered by the time it got back to England; the clutch was weak, the rear beam was wobbly, the brakes were worn out and the front suspension sounded like a drum solo. The logical thing to do was to SORN it, lay it up and forget about it. Which is exactly what Mankee did.
After being out of action for six months Mankee rebuilt the AX to be fit for the road and track again. The following six months were a near-constant battle of breakdowns, including a failed crank sensor at a track day and a wayward spark plug electrode turning the 1360cc engine permanently into a three-cylinder powerplant.
Something had to be done, so Mankee bought another damaged S1 106 Rallye to strip for donor parts. A month later and the AX GTi had been transformed into a 1294cc-powered AX Rallye, complete with better suspension and brakes to compliment the smaller, yet more powerful, replacement engine.
The real test for Mankee’s car-building skills was, yet again, the Scumball event in the summer of 2007. And yet again, the car managed the whole trip without a hitch, including three laps of Donington Park and ten punishing flat-out laps of the Nordschleife. Now that it is back in England, Mankee is expecting the usual breakdown and repair cycle.
Follow the progress of the AX in PPC magazine every month.
