The Peugeot Vera 02 was an experimental research car developed by Peugeot, based on the Vera project commissioned by the French energy-saving agency AEE (Agence pour les Economies d'Energie) to produce low-consumption research vehicles. Peugeot's program used the name Vera, an abbreviation of Vehicule econome de recherche appliquee, and was built on the platform of the Peugeot 305, in production since late 1977. The first Vera (Vera 01) was detailed in spring 1981 after being previewed at the Paris motor show in October 1980, while Peugeot presented the Vera 02 at the Geneva motor show in March 1982.
The Vera 02 was distinguished from the original Vera by its engine, described as the smallest four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine in the world at the time. It displaced 954 cc, the same base unit derived from the Peugeot 104, and produced 61 hp with 114 Nm of torque, giving a top speed given variously as 158 km/h and 156 km/h and a 0-100 km/h time of 13.1 seconds. Further technical refinements over the Vera 01 allowed an optimal specific consumption below 180 g/hp/h. Fuel consumption was quoted at 3.5 l/100 km at a constant 90 km/h, 5.0 l/100 km at 120 km/h, and 5.2 l/100 km in city driving, all using diesel fuel. Weight rose from the 750 kg of the Vera 01 to 790 kg, but the drag coefficient improved slightly, from 0.318 to 0.315. In a real-world test on 5 June 1982, the Vera 02 covered the route from Pau to Paris using 20 liters of fuel, equivalent to 2.53 l/100 km at an average speed of 62.2 km/h.
The Vera 02 retained the optimized bodywork developed for the project, a four-door, five-seat body based on the Peugeot 305 shell with a drag coefficient around 0.32, achieved without altering the car's basic silhouette. The underlying structure carried over the modified Peugeot 305 chassis with the smaller Peugeot 104-derived engine, and dimensions included a wheelbase of 262 cm and overall length, width and height of 424, 163 and 140 cm respectively, close to the specifications of the original Vera. The Vera 02 remained a research and demonstration vehicle rather than a production model.
