21 photos
Ruben Fidalgo
February 07, 2023
In 1983, the new Peugeot utility came on the market, a model that had the enormous responsibility of having to refloat the finances of a brand on the verge of bankruptcy. The result could not have been better, both for the brand and for the customers. This was the Peugeot 205 that this year celebrates its 40th anniversary.
Few times throughout history has a brand played as much as Peugeot on February 15, 1983. Despite the conservative mentality of the Peugeot family, which never took a step without securing its footing on solid ground, the financial situation of the The group was critical in 1983. The decision to buy Chrysler’s European division with the Talbot and Simca brands and the market plagued by economic crises in 1980 and 1982 had put the French group on the ropes. The launch of the Peugeot 205 was decisive. Its success depended on whether to bolt the bolt definitively or to be able to move on and, luckily, the move could not have gone better, both for the brand and for those who fell in love with that new utility.
Since it was introduced, the February 15, 1983until the end of its production (no less than 16 years later in 1999) 5.3 million Peugeot 205s were solda car that has left its mark on automotive history for two fundamental reasons:
- Its reliability was legendarybut not a legend. Seldom does a slogan keep its promise, but in the Peugeot 205, that “with you to the end of the world” was doubly true, since in addition to being reliable it was one of the models in which you could travel the cheapest, with more than 1,000 km of autonomy.
- Your success in competition it was overwhelming despite its short existence. He Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 It is one of the icons of motorsports around the world.
The Peugeot 205 was a resounding success for the mark of the rampant lion. Since its launch, sales were excellent and also remained that way for years, so much so that it took no less than 8 years (in 1991) to carry out a small cosmetic touch-up, something that is usually done between the third and fourth year of life of a model. In that face lift The color of the front indicators, the rear optics and the dashboard were barely modified. The rest of the 205 design was still fully relevant.
It would not be until 1998-1999 when he handed over the baton to the peugeot 206which inherited the good reputation of its predecessor and has continued it until the current Peugeot 208, which has recently been awarded the ABC Car of the Year.
He Peugeot 205 knew how to cover a wide spectrum of needs: from the cheap diesel – with modest benefits but with more than 1,000 km of autonomy – to the temperamental Peugeot 205 GTi and 205 Rallye, models capable of putting other much superior ones against the ropes, in theory. His dynamic demeanor was a legend.
It had no less than 38 versions, 3 and 5-door bodies and even a cute convertible (highly sought after today) with an anti-roll bar.
The Peugeot 205 Turbo 16: a risky bet
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From the project phase at Peugeot they saw clearly that the competition would be an excellent showcase to promote their model. Rallys were in fashion and caused more expectation and fans than Formula One itself. In addition, the cars that participated in the rallies were more similar to those that were later sold in the dealerships, so practically in parallel with the development of the new utility, the development of an ambitious competition project began.
For this, the best specialists of the moment were signed, with Jean Todt himself as conductor and finder of the best engineers for the development of the racing car that would contribute to elevate the modest Peugeot 205.
Although the silhouette of the anabolic Audi Sport Quattro comes to mind for most when Group B is named, the true brown beast of the world championship was the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16, capable of achieving nothing less than 16 wins in just 2 seasonsjust before its category (group B) was banned due to several accidents and incidents due to its exorbitant benefits. Timo Salonen and Juha Kankkunen They owe part of their record to this exceptional car, with two World Championships for drivers and two for brands.
It seemed that the joy would be short-lived at Peugeot, after millions invested in its competition program with the 205, its life was ending too soon when the category in which it participated was banned, but the work done by Jean Todt’s team in the Development of the Peugeot 205 T16 was so good that the end of Group B was only the excuse to set the shot at a new target, the Raids.
The small Peugeot would end up sweeping events such as the Paris-Dakar and Pikes Peak and its base even survived the model and was the backbone of the successful Peugeot 405 and Citroën ZX that continued to win several years later.
Peugeot 205 diesel: with you at the end of the world… for real
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Of the Peugeot 205 T16, only the necessary units were manufactured to be able to homologate the car in competition and they hardly had to do with the 205 that we all know by name, the headlights, the pilot lights, the windshield and little else. The real Peugeot 205 that swept the roads was a very practical utilitywith a modern design, an interior that is very well used for its size and a legendary, endless mechanical robustness and with very low consumption.
In this sense, the diesel versions of the Peugeot 205 would stand out, whose commercial slogan became well known and really fulfilled what it promised: “with you at the end of the world”, not only because its autonomy was more than 1,000 km, but also because that engine would become famous for its reliability and would contribute to another myth of robustness: the Citroen C-15.
Its stability and behavior on the road were also highly praised qualities in the tests of the time, with a very low weight, a very low center of gravity and good suspension and mass distribution.
The gasoline versions also stood out for their reliability, with very robust mechanics that cost little thanks to the lightness of the Peugeot 205. At the top of the range in terms of equipment were the GTX versions, just one step below the GTi, with engines carburetion instead of injection, but with a finish and equipment that did not envy those of the GTi.
Peugeot 205 GTi and Rally: the most sought after
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Without reaching the extreme performance of the Turbo 16, the Peugeot 205 GTi and 205 Rally They offered considerable performance and became true giant killers, capable of making the GTi of higher categories sweat. Despite its greater power, the 205 GTi had a more bourgeois touch, with a more luxurious and equipped interior, but also more weight and more comfortable suspensions. For the real “burned out” there was the 205 Rally. Its engine had less displacement and was fitted with carburetion instead of injection, but the lower weight, the tuning of the suspensions and the more immediate response of the carburetion made it a real sports car, not too economical (neither in price nor in terms of consumption). ), but accessible, a perfect training car for drivers.
At present they are the most sought after models of the Peugeot 205, if we except the untouchable Turbo 16, which already move for figures that exceed 300,000 euros.
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