Peugeot 306
PROJECT £1200-2500 // USABLE £2500-8000 // GOOD £8000-18,000 // EXCELLENT £18,000+ // PRICE WHEN NEW £10,290 (1990)
On good tyres a 205 GTI is roll-free and handles like a dirty great go kart.’
The Peugeot 205 GTI is definitely the arriviste in this foursome, seemingly appearing from nowhere to fight for overall honours in the hot hatch class. It’s a little smaller than its rivals, but ended up being built well into the 1990s when the other three were a fading memory. As a hot hatch, the 205 was at an advantage – it was a true product of the 1980s. It was designed in-house under Gerard Welter with Pininfarina consulting, a curvaceous counterpoint to the origami styling of the other three.
Today, it’s considered to be one of the most iconic small car shapes ever devised, and one that was enhanced significantly by the addition of the formula hot hatch addenda of red pinstriping, alloy wheels and aerodynamic spoilers. Inside, Peugeot added red carpets to create a car so achingly desirable that the sharpest of its rivals just looked old hat from the moment it appeared.
It wasn’t show and no go – to become a GTI, the 205 received a 1.6-litre fuelinjected XU5J engine first used in the Peugeot 305 and Citroën BX. Power was up from 80bhp in the former range-topping 205 GT to a full-blooded 105bhp. That would subsequently rise to 115bhp in 1985 to answer the questions raised by increasingly powerful rivals.
Back to 1984 and the motoring press ended up bewitched by the brilliance of the 205 GTI. CAR magazine concluded: ‘As a car to get into and go hard, it has advantages even over a new Golf GTI. The car’s inspiration factor is sky-high. It is extremely fast in difficult, confined conditions even where grip is limited.’ Given that the Golf was 20 per cent more expensive at the time, that’s an impressive conclusion. Throughout the decade the 205 GTI remained a front runner, further expanded by the appeal of the faster 1.9-litre version in 1987.
Now that it’s emerged from the 2000s it’s just as compelling as it used to be. Its easily crashed, badly modified image is behind it and the bad ones have disappeared. It’s disarmingly pretty, and airy inside. Fire it up, and the engine sounds tinny through too little soundproofing, and the long gear lever hardly promises snappy changes. But it leaps away like an enthusiastic pup and positively thrives on revs. Performance matches its rivals here, but that’s not really where the magic happens.
Seek the countryside and find some empty roads for real fun. It flows around corners almost on instinct and you’ll never tire of pushing it hard to experience that last nuance of grip. And before you start to wonder when the old lift-off oversteer complaint’s coming – don’t. On decent, modern tyres a 205 GTI is neutral, roll-free and handles like a dirty great go kart. The only possible criticism is that it rides a bit stiffly – but all four do to some degree.
Wholesome thrills, then? Yes, but not cheap these days. Values are rising sharply and will continue to do so.
Its legendary reputation, brilliance as a driver’s car and improving factory support are justification enough.
GTI-specific parts have been tough to find, but the situation’s easing as more parts are re-manufactured. If you want a 205 GTI, now’s the time to grab one.