Peugeot 205 GTi – Five Reasons Why?
February 1, 2023
The Peugeot 205 GTi is a legend. A hot hatch icon. A glowing, fun example of just how good a hot hatch can be. For many, it’s never been bettered. For others, it’s never been owned. But we want to change that, which is why we have put this video together. In it, you’ll be given five reasons why you need to buy yourself a Peugeot 205 GTi. Five good reasons, too. Including the fact you can – if your pockets are deep enough – have a brand new one built. Like the very one we were driving in the video, in fact…
The Peugeot 205 GTi isn’t one of those classics that has suddenly become cool. Whether it be down to scarcity, a shift in public opinion or because somebody on Top Gear has now decided that it is. No, the 205 GTi has always been cool, even when prices were at rock bottom. Whether in limber, agile 1.6 guise or more straight out powerful 1.9 form it has been a perennially popular choice for any discerning car fan. It’s the quintessential hot hatch. Forget your Golf GTis and your Ford Fiesta XR2s, France is where you want to be setting up your magasin and the 205 GTi encapsulates not only everything that’s brilliant about hot hatchbacks, but what’s brilliant about the simple pleasure of driving a car and to this day it remains a sharp-handling, dynamic and gargantuan grin inducing little rascal.
We all lusted after one when we were younger but they were forever unattainable, financially speaking and while prices may be on the up our bank balances are also a lot healthier than when we were teenagers. Saving up the pennies from a paper round or weekend slog stacking shelves in the local supermarket was never going to bag you one of these beauties but now that we’re older and generally have more cash in the bank we can finally scratch that itch. It’s earned its legendary and iconic status and as such is a shrewd investment that will not lose money. Unless you wrap it around a lamp post of course but the inherent drivability and level of grip and control available should, should stand you in good stead. Not only that but with greater years comes greater responsibility too and although we still like to hoon every now and again we’re less likely to bin it if we do decide to add one to the fleet.
With modern cars being what they are and with the way the world is going the Peugeot 205 GTi represents a good old fashioned slice of fun. In a drab sea of boring econoboxes, environmental restrictions and, let’s face it, a big fat slab of doom and gloom what with a cost of living crisis and countries at war with one another, isn’t a bit of enjoyment, a little entertainment exactly what we need? And boy does the petite Gallic go-kart provide a hefty chunk of that.
We hope you enjoy the video, and we hope it gives you the push you need to search for your own Peugeot 205 GTi. The hot hatch market has never been more alive, and the enthusiasm for the 205 GTi goes to show that. People want them, enthusiasts cherish them, and the aftermarket is alive with activity to keep them going, better than they have ever been. The ultimate hot hatch? It could well be. Whether you pick up an original example or opt for a Tolman it’s a decision that we guarantee will not disappoint and you’ll be belting out Edith Piaf’s Non, je ne regrette rien! every time you drive it, or look at it for that matter, because your life, because your joy, today… it begins with a Peugeot 205 GTi.
