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Peugeot 205 GTI: The French Lion Dressed as a Pocket Rocket
Words by Matteo Lavazza / Photos by Peugeot Media
The 80s, what a decade. Those who have been lucky enough to experience it firsthand know what I’m talking about, everyone else can only relive it through photographs, movies and a few songs which, once the play button is pressed, takes us straight back into the cockpit of those pocket rockets. Yes, because even cars were better and that’s because they tried to kill you at the first bend taken with more decision than usual. Year 1984: the Peugeot 205 GTI is the car to have. It’s the sports car for everyone, the little rocket that with some red profiles and some badges makes it clear that the road back home will no longer be taken for granted. It is a lion that breathes fire and flames.
In 1984, after having presented the 205 just the previous year, the GTI version entered the scene as a dream within everyone’s reach, especially for those young people who want a car that stands out and gives a voice to enthusiasts who can’t buy a supercar. The 205 GTI is a light and extremely nervous hatchback, available only as a 3-door and equipped with a 1.6-liter 105 horsepower naturally aspirated engine, then joined by a more generous 1.9-liter with 131 horsepower, both obviously with a 5-speed manual gearbox. But it’s not just about performance which showed 0-100 kph in 9.5 seconds for the 1.6 and just 7.8 for the 1.9, with the latter’s top speed exceeding 200 per hour. The chassis magic of the GTI was to accommodate the driver’s style by implementing both understeer and oversteer, with the possibility of putting the rear back into lane with a simple touch on the gas pedal.
Of course, driving a 205 GTI in certain ways was not a child’s play and was certainly not for everyone, to the point that some pointed it out for its danger, as indeed they did with all hot-hatches that made the streets of the time a more adrenaline-filled place to be in. In the passenger compartment, with the exception of a few GTI logos and more containing seats – essential when tackling a curvy road – the car remained faithful to the sobriety of the starting model, contributing precisely to maintaining a substantially cheap list price which made such fun possible even for less deep pockets.
I still remember the first time I drove it, being amazed at the precise moment in which I realized that cars like these live to be revved up, where the torque curve and maximum power give their soul trying to take yours as soon as you make the mistake of underestimating it. Driving a 205 GTI today is an even stronger emotion, precisely because the behavior can become unpredictable in the space of a millisecond and while you grip the steering wheel chasing speeds you didn’t think possible, you find yourself smiling with a tear of nostalgia that winks as you were still in the 80s. At approximately €15,000 you can get one today, do I have to add anything else?
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