Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ellis]

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The Volkswagen Golf Gti started the trend but it was not the first "hot hatch".
That honour goes to the Autobianchi A112 Abarth in 1971, I believe, although I have never seen one.
The Golf Gti was introduced in 1975 although the RHD versions did not reach the UK until 1977/88. The Golf Gti was a premium product with prices to reflect this so it was only a matter of time before other manufacturers produced their own versions.

The Peugeot 205 GTi arrived here in 1984, in 1600cc form at first and quickly became sought after. The first examples sold for more money as used cars in the first two years with long waiting lists for new ones.

I joined in in October 1987 with a new 1.6 GTI, E424 XJC, in silver. It was a good car, a real mile eater capable of 45+ mpg if driven carefully but there was something lacking - more power despite its upgraded engine to 115bhp.
Three months later I changed it for a 1.9 Gti, three months old with a Skip Brown "fast road" conversion which took it to around 160bhp as compared with 128 bhp as standard.

What a car! It really was a "pocket rocket" and one of the fastest and most nimble cars I have owned, a Sierra Cosworth and BMW M3 NOT excepted. The downsides were 28mpg and an awful handbrake. The upside was a torque steering, front tyre spinning missile. Oh yes, it was true, you could not turn the internal fan off completely!

VW Golfs, Mark 1 and 2 were well built, strong and engineered as you would expect Volkswagens to be.
The Peugeot 205 GTi was not.
It was flimsy, poorly built with delicate trim which showed wear after only a few months. Jack one up and you would not be able to close any door, rear hatch included and you could see the flitch plates near the front panel flex if the bonnet was open while jacking.

Good fun but fragile. The same applies to Subaru Imprezzas as some owners have told me.

So, how do you assess a Peugeot 205 Gti as a potential classic?
There are not many around now such has been the attrition rate compared with the Golf GTi. The 1.9Gti is rare but regarded as troublesome with age. The 1.6 will always be in it's shadow.

Your opinions please ladies and gentlemen.
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Starting Handle Expert

1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet

[alanb]

[Ashley]

My boss of the time had MK 1 and MK 2 Golf GTis and I had a BX19GTI that was superior in terms of handling, speed, comfort and reliability. The VW was harsh and bouncy, not great seats, quite small and lacked the torque of the Citroen. I really enjoyed the car and had driven it the length and breadth of France at ridiculous speeds with the family on board.

I remember once driving along a narrow but empty country road down south at over 100mph when we hit a crossroads, literally, it had been resurfaced, so that the road crossing ours was noticeably higher. We took off and flew like they did in the Dukes of Hazzard and landed with a hell of a bang. It frightened me and I worried lest we'd get help because it was some distance to a town, so I jacked the suspension to high and crawled about underneath looking for major structural damage. I didn't find any and neither did the dealer when I got home.

My wife had the ordinary 1600 which was more comfortable and had a smoother engine, so better for touring, but the GTi was a flyer and my favourite of that era. I always found the Peugot a bit too thrashy, even the 1600, but I understand your enthusiasm.

[Rick]

I could see myself getting a 205 GTi for a fun car, funnily enough I saw one zip by here yesterday and it reminded me again of them. Whether their fragile trim etc would put me off I'm not sure.

On a related note - the school that junior attends, has a great turnover of staff, and his latest teacher left at the end of the last term. Her replacement appears to drive a Mk1 Golf GTi as a daily driver, I've seen it parked in the car park on a couple of occasions during "handover" days.

RJ
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[Ray White]

Sorry, but the little Peugeot 205 GTi is not my favourite car and no I wouldn't have one. I don't think they are in the same league as the Golf GTi.
i'm in agreement with Ashley about the Citroen BX19 GTi...brilliant car!
However, the Citroen was a 5 door so not really a competitor.
For me it would have to be a Lancia Delta Integrale HFE.

[mikeC]

I've no experience of the 205, but I did run a 305GTi for a couple of years, and I thought that was a cracking car. Similarly, I have never had a Golf, but I did have a Corrado VR6 for a few months. From my experience the Peugeot was a far better built car than the VW.

I had been running a Lancia for about five years; yes, the trim rattled on the Lancia, it had from new - but it didn't get any worse over the years. The VW, on the other hand, was lower mileage and five years younger, and bits were dropping of right, left and centre; the impression was of strong, well-made parts, but that didn't stop them breaking...

I would love to have a 205GTi, but have no such yearnings for the Golf.

[Ray White]

Mike, You are right. The 305 was a good car (although the automatic choke could be troublesome) but again, it is an altogether bigger car and not in the pocket rocket category. My guess is that you would be disappointed with a 205 GTi but
of course I could be wrong - I often am.

I drove a dull but worthy Peugeot 309 GTi for a few years but can't say I would ever buy another. It was reputedly as good a handling car as the smaller 205 GTi but benefitted from a better ride.