The Peugeot 205 is a supermini A supermini is a British car classification term that describes automobiles larger than a city car but smaller than a small family car. This car class is also known as the B-segment across Europe, and as Subcompact in North America produced by the French France (pronounced /ˈfræns/ or /ˈfrɑːns/; French: [fʁɑ̃s]), officially the French Republic (French: République française, pronounced: [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the car manufacturer Peugeot Peugeot's roots go back to 19th-century coffee mill and bicycle manufacturing. The Peugeot company and family is originally from Sochaux, France. Peugeot retains a large manufacturing plant and Peugeot Museum there. It also sponsors the Sochaux football club, founded in 1928 by a member of the Peugeot family between 1983 and 1997. It was declared 'Car of the Decade' by CAR magazine in 1990.

Contents

History

1990 Peugeot 205

The chic Pininfarina Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder in Cambiano, Italy styled 205 is widely regarded as a modern classic. It's often thought that the 205 is a Pininfarina design, however Gerard Welter claims it as an in-house design, Pininfarina only styled the CTi model. It is often credited as the car which turned Peugeot's fortunes around. Before the 205, Peugeot was considered the most conservative of France France (pronounced /ˈfræns/ or /ˈfrɑːns/; French: [fʁɑ̃s]), officially the French Republic (French: République française, pronounced: [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the's "big three" car manufacturers, producing large saloons A sedan car or saloon car (British English) is a passenger car with two rows of seats and adequate passenger space in the rear compartment for adult passengers. The vehicle usually has a separate rear trunk (boot in British English) for luggage, although some manufacturers such as Chevrolet, Tatra, and Volkswagen have made rear-engined models. It such as the 504 The Peugeot 504 is a large family car manufactured by French automaker Peugeot between 1968 and 1983, with licensed production continuing until 2005. It replaced the 404 and 505. The genesis of the 205 lay within Peugeot's takeover in 1978 of Simca Simca was a French automaker and marque, founded in 1934 by Henri Théodore Pigozzi . Simca was originally affiliated with Fiat, but later, after a period of independence, when Simca bought Ford's French branch, became increasingly controlled by the Chrysler Group, in 1970 becoming a part of Chrysler Europe and a brand rather than independent, which had the necessary expertise in making small cars. Early 205s used the "Douvrin" engine from the older Peugeot 104 The Peugeot 104 is a supermini motor car designed by Paolo Martin and produced by the French car manufacturer Peugeot between 1972 and 1988, although these were later replaced with the newer XU and TU-series engines, which were of PSA design. Engines An engine is a mechanical device that produces some form of output from a given input. An engine whose purpose is to produce kinetic energy output from a fuel source is called a prime mover; alternatively, a motor is a device which produces kinetic energy from other forms of energy ranged from 954 cc to 1905 cc engine displacement Engine displacement is the volume swept by all the pistons of an engine in a single movement from top dead center to bottom dead center. It is commonly specified in cubic centimeters, liters, or cubic inches. Power output of a combustion engine is directly proportional to the engine displacement, in carburetor A carburetor or carburettor (Commonwealth spelling), is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It was invented by Karl Benz before 1885 and patented in 1886. It is colloquially called a carb (in North America and the United Kingdom) or carby (chiefly in Australia).[citations needed] or fuel injected Fuel injection is a system for mixing fuel with air in an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in gasoline automotive engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s petrol A petrol engine is an internal combustion engine with spark-ignition, designed to run on petrol (gasoline) and similar volatile fuels and diesel A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber during the final stage of compression. This is in contrast to a petrol engine or gas engine, which uses the Otto cycle, in which a fuel/air mixture is ignited by a spark plug versions. Its use of the now standard PSA Peugeot Citroën PSA Peugeot Citroën is a French manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles sold under the Peugeot and Citroën marques. PSA Peugeot Citroën is owned by Peugeot S.A., a holding company. PSA is Europe's second biggest car maker suspension layout of Macpherson struts The MacPherson strut is a type of car suspension system which uses the axis of a telescopic damper as the upper steering pivot, widely used in modern vehicles and named after Earle S. MacPherson who developed the design, based in part on designs created by Guido Fornaca of FIAT in the mid-1920s. It is possible the MacPherson was inspired by the at the front, with torsion bar suspension A torsion bar suspension, also known as a torsion spring suspension or incorrectly torsion beam, is a general term for any vehicle suspension that uses a torsion bar as its main weight bearing spring. One end of a long metal bar is attached firmly to the vehicle chassis; the opposite end terminates in a lever, mounted perpendicular to the bar, rear suspension, that debuted in the Peugeot 305 The Peugeot 305 is a small family car produced by the French automaker Peugeot from 1978 to 1989 estate, was a key ingredient of the success of the 205. This is fully independent using torsion bars (Torsion spring A torsion spring is a spring that works by torsion or twisting; that is, a flexible elastic object that stores mechanical energy when it is twisted. The amount of force it exerts is proportional to the amount it is twisted. There are two types. A torsion bar is a straight bar of metal or rubber that is subjected to twisting (shear stress) about) and trailing arms. It is very compact and was designed to minimise suspension intrusion into the boot, giving a wide flat loadspace, while providing excellent ride and handling.

The diesel models employed the XUD PSA Diesel engine, lifted from the Citroën BX The Citroën BX is a large family car that was produced by the French manufacturer Citroën between 1983 and 1994. In total, 2,315,739 BXs were built during its 12-year history.[citation needed] The hatchback was discontinued in 1993 with the arrival of the Xantia, but the estate continued for another year which was introduced in 1982. These XUD engines has a capacity of 1769 cc (XUD7) and 1905 cc (XUD9) and they're closely related to the XU5 and XU9 petrol engines in the BX16 and BX19 of the time respectively, as well as the engines later used in the 205 GTI 1.6 and Automatic (also 1.6) and GTI 1.9 respectively (other Peugeot/Citroën [PSA] products, such as the 305 and Talbot Horizon as well as the BX, used the XUD9 Diesel engine of 1905 cc — the same capacity as the 205 GTI 1.9 and Citroën BX 19 petrol engined models). The XUD7 (and XUD9) Diesel Engines were world-beating and so petrol-like that many buyers were won over by the petrol car performance combined with the diesel economy. The 205 GRD (1.8 Diesel, 59 bhp (44 kW), 78 lb·ft (105.8 N·m)), for instance, was as fast yet smoother than the 205 GR (1.4 Petrol, 59 bhp (44 kW), 78 lb·ft (105.8 N·m)), due to the engine developing peak torque at much lower rpm Revolutions per minute is a unit of frequency: the number of full rotations completed in one minute around a fixed axis. It is most commonly used as a measure of rotational speed or angular velocity of some mechanical component, while using much less fuel.

The end of an era

The 205 was an instant hit, and the styling parameters that it set were echoed in every Peugeot model that was to follow. Incredibly, the styling was so right from the start, that it was never face lifted or significantly altered in its 15-year production run. There was a dashboard redesign for the 1988 model year The model year and the actual calendar year of production do not always coincide. For example, an automobile may be available as a 2009 model year automobile, but is actually in production as soon as the factory restarts after the July/August vacation, and available for purchase in late 2008, and in late 1990 the 205 received new door design and cards, clear front indicators, new 'smoked' rear light clusters, single point petrol injection and catalytic converters introduced, to meet the new 1992 pollution limits.

1996 Peugeot 205 (1124 cc)

The Peugeot 205 was discontinued in the UK in 1996, 205s have been known to be registered as late as August 1996 putting them on a "P" plate, late 205 models are easily found registered in 1995 which puts them on an "N" plate both models are generally found sporting the "Style" or "Forever" brandings with decals on the doors and wings with a "205" decal on both doors. It is believed that the 1996 model 205s are most commonly found in two colours consisting of either Red or a Metallic Blue/Grey, the metallic colour more seldomly seen than the Red - but both cars on a "P" plate are quite rare. The single biggest visual difference between very late 205s (1993 on) and earlier ones, is the deletion of the black louvred plastic panel between the rear lights on the tailgate. It is just painted body colour.

In Continental Europe, 205 production was gradually slowed down following the introduction of the joint replacement models, the 106 The Peugeot 106 is a supermini produced by French automaker Peugeot from 1991 to 2003. It also formed the basis of one of the earliest commercially successful electric cars, and 306 The Peugeot 306 is a small family car built by the French car manufacturer Peugeot from 1993 to 2002, and eventually stopped in 1997, but amid pressure from the market, the company finally built a direct replacement in the 206 The Peugeot 206 is a supermini , manufactured by the French automaker Peugeot since 1998, in addition to licensed manufacturing by Iran Khodro since 2005, which was launched in 1998. Over 5,278,000 Peugeot 205s have been produced, and a large percentage of them are still in circulation as of 2009.

The 205 was first available as a GTI in 1984 and was initially powered by a 1.6 petrol engine. The 1.9 GTI was launched in 1986 and the 1.9 engine was also used in the GTI version of the larger 309.

Range

Type Body Style Produced Engine type Fuel Transmission
205 Junior 5-door Hatchback 1987–1993 4-cyl 954 cc Petrol Manual
205 XE 3-door Hatchback 1985–1992 4-cyl 954 cc Petrol Manual
205 Base 5-door Hatchback 1983–1984 4-cyl 954 cc Petrol Manual
205 GE 5-door Hatchback 1984–1988 4-cyl 954 cc Petrol Manual
205 Look 3-door Hatchback 1989–1994 4-cyl 1124 cc Petrol Manual
205 Style 3-door Hatchback 1990–1995 4-cyl 1124 cc Petrol Manual
205 Style 5-door Hatchback 1990–1996 4-cyl 1124 cc Petrol Manual
205 XL 3-door Hatchback 1985–1989 1984–1991 4-cyl 954 cc 4-cyl 1124 cc Petrol Manual
205 XL Automatic 3-door Hatchback 1990–1993 4-cyl 1580 cc Petrol Automatic
205 GL 5-door Hatchback 1983–1993 4-cyl 1124 cc Petrol Manual
205 Rallye 3-door Hatchback 1987–1992 4-cyl 1294 cc Petrol Manual
205 XR 3-door Hatchback 1984–1988 1990–1992 1988–1990 4-cyl 1124 cc 4-cyl 1360 cc Petrol Manual
205 GR 5-door Hatchback 1983–1992 1990–1991 4-cyl 1360 cc 4-cyl 1124 cc Petrol Manual
205 SR 5-door Hatchback 1987–1990 4-cyl 1360 cc Petrol Manual
205 Automatic 5-door Hatchback 1986–1994 4-cyl 1580 cc Petrol Automatic
205 Sunset 5-door Hatchback 1993–1997 4-cyl 1124 cc Petrol Manual
205 XT 3-door Hatchback 1990–1994 4-cyl 1360 cc Petrol Manual
205 XS 3-door Hatchback 1986–1992 4-cyl 1360 cc Petrol Manual
205 GT 5-door Hatchback 1983–1987 1989–1993 4-cyl 1360 cc Petrol Manual
205 GTX 3&5-door Hatchback 1991–1994 4-cyl 1360 cc Petrol Manual
205 Roland Garros 3-door Hatchback & 2-door Convertible 1989–1992 4-cyl 1360 cc Petrol Manual
205 CJ 2-door Convertible 1986–1994 4-cyl 1360 cc Petrol Manual
205 GTi 3-door Hatchback 1984–1994 1986–1993 4-cyl 1580 cc 4-cyl 1905 cc Petrol Manual
205 CTi 2-door Softtop 1985–1992 1986–1992 4-cyl 1580 cc 4-cyl 1905 cc Petrol Manual
205 Style Diesel 3-door Hatchback 1990–1995 4-cyl 1769 cc Diesel Manual
205 Style Diesel 5-door Hatchback 1990–1996 4-cyl 1769 cc Diesel Manual
205 XLD 3-door Hatchback 1984–1994 4-cyl 1769 cc Diesel Manual
205 GLD 5-door Hatchback 1983–1994 4-cyl 1769 cc Diesel Manual
205 GRD 5-door Hatchback 1983–1994 4-cyl 1769 cc Diesel Manual
205 XAD-Turbo 3-door Hatchback 1994–1995 4-cyl 1905 cc Diesel Manual

Versions

1983 Peugeot 205 Base. Initially the 205 was only available with five doors (including the tailgate)

The 205 had a rather unusual trim level scheme for its models; three-door models (apart from the GTI) were badged 'X' and five-door models were badged 'G'.

Trim levels were:

Five-door versions were badged GE

Five-door versions were badged GL (Note: The 1.0 GL was not offered in the UK). The 1.8 GLD diesel Diesel or diesel fuel in general is any fuel used in diesel engines. The most common is a specific fractional distillate of petroleum fuel oil, but alternatives that are not derived from petroleum, such as biodiesel, biomass to liquid (BTL) or gas to liquid (GTL) diesel, are increasingly being developed and adopted. To distinguish these types, model was popular, and What Car? What Car? is a long-running UK monthly automobile magazine and website, currently edited by Steve Fowler and published by Haymarket Motoring. First published in 1973, it is intended primarily as a magazine for consumers rather than dedicated automobile enthusiasts. It contains an extensive buyers' guide section to help consumers to buy the right magazine recommended it as a Used Car Buy in August 1992. It was also a Which? magazine best buy for five years running in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was, (and is as a used buy), a better car than the 106 diesel that replaced it.

Five-door versions were badged GR. The 1.4 GR was a five-door version only, launched in 1986. A 1.4 XR three-door was also available, 1991-92.

The five-door version was badged GT but this was not a true hot hatch A hot hatch is an informal or slang term for a high-performance derivative of a three to five door hatchback automobile. The term is more popular in Europe due to the popularity of the hatchback configuration. Within the United States they are commonly named sport compacts, however, this deviates from the original meaning of the hot hatch.

From 1994, the X/G trim scheme was replaced by Mardi Gras The terms "Mardi Gras" and "Mardi Gras season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, ending on the day before Ash Wednesday. From the French term "Mardi Gras" (literally "Fat Tuesday"), has come to mean the whole period of activity related to those events, beyond just the single day,, Colorline, Forever and Accent. 'GT' versions were now offered only in Continental Europe Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands and, at times, peninsulas. Notably, in British and Irish English usage, the term means Europe excluding the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, the Republic of Ireland and Iceland. One with a 1.6-litre engine; the UK models were badged Mardi Gras. However, GTI versions continued unchanged.

High performance variants

205 GTI

1993 Peugeot 205 GTI

The GTI version came in 1.6-litre and 1.9-litre, in-line four cylinder configurations, and is considered one of the best hot hatches A hot hatch is an informal or slang term for a high-performance derivative of a three to five door hatchback automobile. The term is more popular in Europe due to the popularity of the hatchback configuration. Within the United States they are commonly named sport compacts, however, this deviates from the original meaning of the hot hatch of all time. Compared to modern cars they can be tricky to handle, due to their tendency towards rather sudden lift-off oversteer Oversteer is a phenomenon that can occur in an automobile while attempting to corner or while already cornering. The car is said to oversteer when the rear wheels do not track behind the front wheels but instead slide out toward the outside of the turn. Oversteer can throw the car into a spin. The effect is opposite to that of understeer during hard cornering, and a complete absence of electronic driver aids. However once mastered, or in the hands of a skilled driver, these cars are still known to offer a very rewarding driving experience. The 205 GTI was certainly one of the first front wheel drive Front-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles cars said by many motoring experts to be as rewarding to drive hard as an equivalent rear-wheel drive car.

The 1.6 GTI came with a XU5J engine, producing 105 bhp Horsepower is the name of several non-SI units of power. It was originally defined to allow the output of steam engines to be measured and compared with the power output of draft horses. The horsepower was widely adopted to measure the output of piston engines, turbines, electric motors and other machinery. Different regions adopted different DIN Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V. is the German national organization for standardization and is that country's ISO member body (77 kW), for the 1987 model year the XU5J received the cylinder head In an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head sits above the cylinders and consists of a platform containing part of the combustion chamber and the location of the valves and spark plugs. In a flathead engine, the mechanical parts of the valve train are all contained within the block, and the head is essentially a flat plate of metal bolted with larger valves A poppet valve is a valve consisting of a hole, usually round or oval, and a tapered plug, usually a disk shape on the end of a shaft also called a valve stem. The shaft guides the plug portion by sliding through a valve guide. In most applications a pressure differential helps to seal the valve and in some applications also open it from the 1.9 GTI's XU9JA engine thus becoming XU5JA. The new engine was quoted for 115 bhp (86 kW; 117 PS) . The 1.9 GTI came with an XU9JA engine producing 128 PS (94 kW; 126 hp) , although later models with a catalytic converter produced 122 PS (90 kW; 120 hp) . Internally these engines are very similar, the main differences on 1.9-litre versions being the longer stroke, oil cooler, and some parts of the fuel injection system. The shorter stroke 1.6-litre engine is famed for being revvy and eager, while the 1.9-litre feels lazier and torquier. Outside the engine bay the main differences between the 1.6 GTI and the 1.9 GTI are half-leather Leather is a material created through the tanning of hides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. The tanning process converts the putrescible skin into a durable, long-lasting and versatile natural material for various uses. Together with wood, leather formed the basis of much ancient technology. The leather industry and the fur industry are seats (1.9 GTI) vs. cloth A textile is a flexible material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw wool fibres, linen, cotton, or other material on a spinning wheel to produce long strands known as yarn. Textiles are formed by weaving, knitting, crocheting, knotting, or pressing fibres seats (1.6 GTI); and disc brakes The disc brake or disk brake is a device for slowing or stopping the rotation of a wheel. A brake disc , usually made of cast iron or ceramic composites (including carbon, kevlar and silica), is connected to the wheel and/or the axle. To stop the wheel, friction material in the form of brake pads (mounted on a device called a brake caliper) is all-round (1.9 GTI) vs. discs at the front and drum brakes A drum brake is a brake in which the friction is caused by a set of shoes or pads that press against the inner surface of a rotating drum. The drum is connected to a rotating wheel at the back (1.6 GTI); as well as the 14-inch (360 mm) alloy wheels (1.6 GTI) vs. 15 inch alloys (1.91 GTI).

The 205 is still mentioned to this day in group car tests of the newest GTI models or equivalent. Peugeot itself has never truly recreated this success in future GTI models, although came very close with the highly regarded GTI-6 variant of the Peugeot 306 The Peugeot 306 is a small family car built by the French car manufacturer Peugeot from 1993 to 2002. A cabriolet A convertible is a type of automobile in which the roof can retract and fold away, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle. Many different automobile body styles are manufactured and marketed in convertible form version of the 205, known as the CJ (or CT in France), was designed and partially assembled by Pininfarina Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder in Cambiano, Italy of Italy. A CTi version, with the same plastic Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic amorphous solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular weight, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce costs arches and wheels as the 1.6 GTI was also available. Some later models incorporated the catalysed 1.9 engine.

The main aesthetic difference between the GTI/CTi versions and other 205 models were the plastic wheel arches and trim, beefier front and rear bumper valances. The shell also underwent some minor changes, including larger wheel arches (to suit the larger wheels on the GTI and CTi), and the suspension was redesigned and sat lower on the GTI with stiffer springs, different wishbones and a drop-linked arb.

With the early success of the 205 GTI in Europe, Motor Trend Motor Trend is an automobile magazine. It first appeared in September 1949, issued by Petersen Publishing Company in Los Angeles, and bearing the tag line The Magazine for a Motoring World. Petersen Publishing was sold to British publisher EMAP in 1998, who sold the former Petersen magazines to Primedia in 2001. As of 2007, it is published by reported in 1984 that Peugeot was seriously considering adding it to its US lineup, even though Peugeot had a more upmarket image in the United States. Nothing ever came of such rumours, however, and any talk of Peugeot expanding its presence in US became moot when it was forced to pull out in 1991.

Sales of the GTI in the early 1990s were badly hit by soaring insurance premiums, brought about by high theft and 'joyriding' of cars of this sort. Increasingly stringent emissions regulations meant the 1.6GTI went out of production in 1992, while the 1.9 was sold for a couple more years thanks to re-engineering of the engine to enable it to work properly with a catalytic converter, which dropped power to 122bhp.

A common modification for fast road/track use is to transplant a '16V' Peugeot/Citroen engine and ECU (XU9J4 Type D6C / XU9J4Z Type DFW), as used in Citroen BX 19 GTI 16V and the Peugeot 405 Mi16. This is a development of the 205 T16 engine, the XU8T, the essential difference compared to the car's original XU 8-valve engine is the 16-valve double overhead camshaft cylinder head. The engine will fit into the small Peugeot's engine bay with modifications (the provision of necessary clearance between the exhaust manifold / firewall and intake manifold / radiator), the method of installation varies depending on how professionally it is installed. Weight gains are negligible, and the rise of between 30 to 60 horsepower (depending on the original engine being replaced vs. the engine being transplanted) is startling in so light a car. Less common and also less reliable is the practice of turbocharging or even supercharging the standard XU 8-valve unit. Over 200 bhp (149 kW; 203 PS) has been achieved from a standard engine with the correct fuelling using this method. More may be available, although the usual turbo problems of high exhaust temperatures, detonation and turbine lag will inevitably creep in.

One of the 200 produced 205 T16 road version.

Special 205 GTI editions

Peugeot produced some limited edition 205 GTI models over the car's life.

In 1990, 1200 GTIs were made in the then new colours of Miami blue (see photo above) and Sorrento Green (a very dark metallic green). The cars were made in an equal mix of 300 blue 1.6, 300 green 1.6, 300 blue 1.9 and 300 green 1.9. The cars had power steering and full grey leather interior as standard, together with grey carpets. These paint colours were then added to the list of available colours for ordinary models.

The Gentry was a limited edition. Only 300 models were made with all-leather and wood interior 105 bhp (78 kW; 106 PS) 1.9 engine, power assist, ABS and headed mirrors. The carpeds in the car had a different colour then the standard GTI, in the GTI the carpeds were red, in the Gentry they were gray. The Gentry usualy came with the same side panels as the GTI had, which lead to the Gentry was very often mistaken for a GTI, the only way to tell these two models apart was that the GTI had red lists inside the panels and the Gentry had chrome lists and the GTI and the Gentry had different rims coming with them. Gentries came in the color Sorrento Green and Aztec Gold (sometimes called Beige Mayfair).

The Griffe was a special GTI edition for mainland Europe, and was sold in France, Germany and the Netherlands. It was bright green ('Laser' Green or 'Vert Fluorite')[1], and came equipped with all available vendor options at that time except air-conditioning, but including full black leather interior, ABS, powersteering and sunroof. Approximately 3,000 Griffes were made, all in laser green and with dark grey anodised alloy wheels with a silver rim.

The 1FM was produced only in the UK in 1992 to coincide with the 25th birthday of BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British radio station which broadcasts internationally operated by the BBC, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock or interviews. It is aimed primarily at the 15-29 age group. Radio 1 was launched at 7:00am. Only 25 were made and each car was individually numbered with a small brass plate.[1] Every one was black and had dark grey anodised alloy wheels with a silver rim. The car had every extra as standard including ABS, air conditioning, catalytic converter, full black leather interior, power steering and remote central locking. A special stereo system including a CD changer and an acoustic rear shelf was designed by Clarion especially for this car. The car had unique 'Radio 1' badging, and Radio 1 ran a competition on air to win one.

205 Rallye

1989 Peugeot 205 Rallye 1.3

From 1988 to 1992 Peugeot produced another variant of the 205, the 205 Rallye, which was engineered and produced by Peugeot-Talbot Talbot was originally the British brand name used to sell imported French Clément-Bayard cars. Founded in 1903, this business venture was financed by Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 20th Earl of Shrewsbury, who lent his name to the firm. Starting in 1905, the company branded its imported cars as Clément-Talbot and began assembling French made parts at sport. This edition of the 205 was positioned as a cost effective alternative to the 205 GTI, retaining its sporty character, but being less expensive to buy or maintain.

To achieve this, Peugeot used a derivative of the TU-series engine used in the post-1987 205s, which was designated TU24. The engine is essentially the same engine as was in the 1.1-litre 205 with the cylinders bored out to a total engine displacement of 1294 cc, a sports camshaft and twin Weber carburetors. While only a 1.3-litre engine, it still produced 103 PS (76 kW; 102 hp) at no less than 6800 rpm. The car got the 1.9 GTI front suspension with ventilated brake discs, and the 1.6 GTI rear axle with drum brakes.

The 205 Rallye was completely stripped of almost all soundproofing, electrical systems or other luxury items, bringing down the weight to no more than 794 kg (1750 lb). Its minimalistic equipment, together with the high revs needed to unleash all of the engine's horsepower gives the 205 Rallye a very spartan character and makes it a difficult but rewarding car to drive hard, which is one of the reasons it is now very popular among 205 GTI enthusiasts. Around 30,000 Rallyes were produced, and they were only sold in some countries on the European mainland (at least in France, Belgium, Spain and The Netherlands). This, together with the fact that a lot of these cars have been wrecked because it is a difficult (and for some drivers even dangerous) car to drive makes the 205 Rallye a very rare car nowadays. It is almost impossible to buy one in good shape anymore because Rallye owners now tend to hold on to their cars, knowing it will be a classic in the not-too-distant future.

The distinctive aesthetic features of the 205 Rallye include the squarer wheel arches (which are different from GTI arches), the steel body-coloured wheelrims and the rainbow-coloured Peugeot-Talbot sport decals on the front grille and the tailgate. They were only available in white and yellow. The Rallye was sold with a reduced-weight interior with the Peugeot-Talbot sport logo embroidered in the front chairs.

From 1990 to 1992 Peugeot also built a 1.9-litre version of the 205 Rallye. Only about 1000 of them were produced and they were only sold in Germany, because the 1.3 version did not meet German road regulations. The 1.9 Rallye is just a 105 bhp (78 kW) 1.9 GTI with the Rallye bodyshell and the new-style clear indicators and rear light units. Although they are even rarer than the 1.3 Rallye, they are less popular among Peugeot enthusiasts, because they lack the raw and spartan character of the 1.3 Rallye and are 150 kg (331 lb) heavier. Peugeot also released a Rallye version of the 205 in Great Britain, and used a TU3.2 engine. It had a 1.4-litre engine, which produced 75 bhp (56 kW; 76 PS) and achieved 107mph with a 0-60 of 11.7 seconds.

After the 205 Rallye, Peugeot again used the 'Rallye' designation for some of its 106 and 306 models.

205 Turbo 16 (T16)

Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 at the Race Retro 2008.

To homologate Homologation is a technical term, derived from the Greek homologeo for "to agree", which is generally used in English to signify the granting of approval by an official authority. This may be a court of law, a government department, or an academic or professional body, any of which would normally work from a set of strict rules or the 205 T16 ("Turbo 16" in France) Group B rally car, Peugeot had to produce 200 road-going examples. A photograph showing the 200 cars was famously rumoured to be a fake. The road variants shared the transverse mid-engine, four-wheel drive layout of the rally car, but had much less power, at around 200 PS (147 kW; 197 hp) . The T was for Turbo; the 16 stands for 16 valves, an uncommon feature at that time for turbocharged engines.[2] Outwardly similar to a normal 205, the T16 had wider wheel arches, and the whole rear section lifted up to give access to the engine. Underneath, the complex drivetrain from the rally car was kept to abide by the Group B rules. All 200 built were left-hand drive, so few reached the United Kingdom.

Peugeot Talbot Sport's factory 205 T16s under Jean Todt were the most successful cars to compete in the last two years of the World Rally Championship's Group B era, winning the 1985 and 1986 Constructors' and Drivers' titles with Timo Salonen and Juha Kankkunen respectively against such notable competition from Audi, Lancia and Ford, with an Evolution 2 model being introduced for the latter of those two seasons.

UK statistics

Peak year for GTI derivatives was 1988, taking over 20% of 205 UK sales. During 1991, the 205 range accounted for 3.08% of all UK registrations, and was the nation's eighth best selling new car.

In 1994 the last 205 GTI rolled off production lines and only 8 were made.

Totals are the following for the limited editions that were available in the UK:

References

  1. ^ Scott Mills Show, BBC Radio 1, broadcasted 25 September 2007
  2. ^ Jean Todt, Peugeot 205: The Story of a Challenge(Flammarion, 1985), p. 27, ISBN 2-08-201823-7

External links

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0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
City car 107
Supermini 104 106
205 206 207
Small family car 305 309 306 307 308
Large family car 405 406 407
505
Executive car 604 605 607
Leisure activity vehicle Bipper
Partner Partner II
Mini MPV 1007
Compact MPV 3008
5008
Large MPV 806 807
Crossover 4007

Categories: Peugeot vehicles | Pininfarina | Subcompact cars | Hatchbacks | Convertibles | Rally cars | Group B cars | Vehicles introduced in 1983 | 1980s automobiles | 1990s automobiles | Front wheel drive vehicles

 

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