Born: 1983 Died: 1998
Though Peugeot had produced small cars from the 1950s until the '70s - the 203, 204 superminis and and 104 mini -- at the beginning of the 1980s it had a stodgy reputation and was best known for making larger family cars that really didn't light anyone's fire. An icon was needed. Nobody's sure if they knew they'd have one on their hands with the launch of the 205 hatchback in September 1983, but the car was quickly picked up by the youth market.
It was initially cheap and cheerful in its offering, though with a choice of 1.0 and 1.1-litre engines of 44hp and 50hp respectively, and no less than five specification levels, it was clear that Peugeot was scattergunning a wide swathe of the marketplace. There was also a diesel version, with a 1.8-litre Citroën engine that had 81 bhp and a decent level of torque, and it sold well on the basis that the PSA Group were already well on the way to establishing an excellence in diesels which persists to this day. The 205 was available in both three- and five-door variants, and the ready acceptance of the somewhat boxy styling was an indicator to designers of future other models from Peugeot that they should work with the small car's cues.
Many young buyers also demanded something with a bit more power, and there were enough of them to persuade Peugeot to roll out a GTi version in early 1984, powered by a 105hp 1.6-litre engine ... a similar configuration to the larger Golf GTI that was to become its own legend in its segment. This was also the year that a 205 was homologated for Group B rallying.
The first 205 GTi was never credited as a smooth performer, but it set the parameters for the small "hot hatch" genre, and with a 10hp increase in power and some retuning of the suspension it became quite popular, especially in Britain where hot hatches were, well, "hot". Two years later another GTi was added to the range, this time with a 1.9-litre engine and 140hp, and even the Golf GTI of that era had to settle for second place in the performance and buyers preference stakes.
A special 'Rallye' edition was also produced, with a 103hp 1.3-litre engine and suspension elements from both GTIs. It was stripped of all comforts, even the soundproofing, making it as close to a rally car on the road as anything else. They were light, very fast, and a handful for any but the most expert drivers. In 1990 the 205 got new bumpers and redesigned lights front and rear. And the Rallye was given the 1.9-litre GTI engine as an option, making it one of the fastest road cars in its class.
But the engineers were working on something much more serious, the advent of emissions standards, and the following year dumped the carburettors from all petrol cars in favour of fuel injection. Along with a catalytic convertor, these moves trimmed the performance of the sporty cars and increased fuel consumption across the range.
The Rallye was dropped in 1992, after about 20,000 had been sold. In 1993, the 1.6-litre GTI engine was dropped, leaving only the more powerful and more expensive 1.9 version. But with leather trim, discs all round and larger alloys, the buyers were getting a decent bit more for their money. But, because of high insurance costs in the important British market, sales of the GTi were in decline, and the variant was dropped in 1993. In all, almost 333,000 had been built.
Though running down in popularity, and essentially replaced in the Peugeot model range by two cars - the 106 and the 306 - the 205 soldiered on until 1998, by which time some 5.3 million units had been sold. That what it stood for still had value out in the market was nodded to when a 206 direct replacement was produced that same year.