1990 Peugeot 205 GTi 1.9 - The subject of an exacting restoration

The Peugeot 205 was produced between 1983 and 1998 and represented a major milestone in car design and performance. So much so that it was declared 'Car of the Decade' by CAR magazine in 1990. History is a little blurred as to who actually claimed the credit for the design, whoever it was probably saved Peugeot's life, who, at the time were going through a bad patch. This was driver's car that was hugely enjoyable and very rewarding to drive. Even today it remains the benchmark by which the modern breed of hot hatchbacks are judged. The GTI version initially came with a 1.6 litre engine; it was followed by the 130bh 1.9 litre engine.

The expression "nut and bolt' restoration is often abused and overused but in the case of this 205 Gti 1.9 it is 100% accurate. The restoration took place over a four year period. Every single mechanical part has either been refurbished or has been replaced with an original Peugeot part. As an example of the amazing attention to detail, the engine has been taken apart and rebuilt using only Peugeot parts with all the work being done by a Peugeot trained mechanic. The underside of the car body has been stripped right back to bare metal and repainted in stone chipped cherry red to match the body, as has the engine bay. Again to give you some idea of what has gone into this car, little details like the gearstick bushes have been replaced and even all the lights have been changed to new Peugeot items. The brakes, suspension, and numerous other parts have been replaced with new genuine Peugeot items.

As part of the process the upper body paintwork was kept as original as possible, even the rear tailgate had a glass out repaint since the spoiler was removed. The owner felt it spoilt the lovely lines of the car. (He still has that spoiler) The interior is in great condition and has the standard quartet velour half leather seats with hardly any bolster wear. Not surprisingly the sliding factory sunroof seals perfectly.

As you can imagine the car is as close to new as you can get. It also drives totally straight and true and feels as tight as a drum, maybe even tighter than when it left the showroom.