One to Buy: 51,000 mile 1984 Peugeot 205 GTi 1.6
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After Volkswagen pioneered the hot hatch genre with its iconic Mk1 Golf GTi, Peugeot went on to perfect the formula eight years later. Launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1984, the 205 GTi was not only extremely light and fast, it offered the kind of superb handling dynamics that today’s bloated compact class machinery can only dream of.
To complement the original 1.6-litre 205 GTi, Peugeot launched a higher specification 1.9-litre version two-and-a-half years later. However, as a consequence of the 1.9’s lazier long stroke engine, many enthusiasts prefer the slightly lighter, more responsive 1.6.
While most of its contemporaries offer less driving pleasure tallied with vastly higher running costs, the 205 GTi still stands out as a bit of a bargain, especially if a low mileage, unmolested collector-grade example can be found.
Although rarely seen, just such a car is currently residing at the 4 Star Classics showroom in Guildford, Surrey.
An extremely early example offered in arguably the best colour schemes for one of these cars, this GTi was sold new in May 1984 by one of the Mann Egerton Peugeot agencies. The purchaser, a Mr Taylor, part-exchanged his Talbot Sunbeam GLS and took delivery that August in order to have the new car registered on a B-prefix license plate.
Since then, the GTi has accumulated a little over 51,000 miles in the hands of an additional four keepers, the most recent of whom acquired the car in 2012. Importantly, this exceptional 205 is accompanied it original owners’ manuals, a raft of invoices and MOT certificates, the original vehicle order form and sales invoice from Mann Egerton, the original registration document, both sets of keys and a classic car magazine in which it was featured.
