Peugeot 205: from 30kW to 149kW in 40 years
It is small in stature but big on personality and presence. We take a look at the Peugeot 205 in all its glory.
The Peugeot 205 was launched in 1983 and has since left its mark, particularly in terms of motorsport.
“The history of a car is often, first and foremost, the history of the men and women who designed it,” said Peugeot.
The story of the Peugeot 205 is inseparable from Jean Boillot’s, a member of the Peugeot board of directors at the end of the 1970s. He came up with the idea for a comfortable city car, a multipurpose one, as comfortable in the city as on country roads, capable of transporting a small family, and also affordable. It was called the 205.
Design
The design inaugurated some distinctive signs that would be found on future Peugeots, for example, the grille with horizontal bars and the band between the rear lights. Moreover, it is a famous name in automotive design, said Paul Bracq, then a member of the brand’s design studio, who created the interior of the Peugeot 205.
The first high-performance small diesel
It was, in particular, the first car of the brand to adopt torsion bars at the rear in order to free up more space in the passenger compartment. It is also the first car to receive the new family of XU engines, namely the XUD7, a four-cylinder 1 769 cm3 engine with 44.7kW delivering a fuel consumption 3.9l/100km on average.
From 29.8kW to 149kW
The Peugeot 205 was the first Peugeot to receive such a wide and varied range of engines – from 29.8kW to 149kW – and an automatic gearbox.
From its launch in 1983, it came with four petrol engines and one diesel. The following year, the range was extended to include the legendary GTI and Turbo 16, as well as a three-door body. A whole range of versions followed, from the more affordable ones such as the 1986 Junior with its denim seats, to the more chic, such as the Lacoste or Gentry.
The real champion!
In 1984, under the impetus of Jean Todt, Peugeot entered the premier category of the World Rally Championship, the famous Group B, with the impressive 205 Turbo 16.
During this first season, Ari Vatanen made a strong impression by winning three rallies. In 1985 and 1986, the Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 won the manufacturers’ world title and Timo Salonen (1985) and Juha Kankkunen (1986) took the drivers’ title. With there being no more Group B category at the end of 1986, Todt suggested that Peugeot enter the 205 T16 in a legendary event, the Paris Dakar. A specially adapted Peugeot 205 T16 won in 1987 and 1988.
In 1998, after a long and rich career of 15 years, and 5 278 050 units produced, the Peugeot 205 was retired.
In the minds of car enthusiasts, it will, however, be the car that formed the foundation for following generations of Peugeots, including the 206, 207 and 208.
Source: QuickPic
