Would Peugeot still have existed without the 205?
It just might not be the case. When the brand was on the brink of collapse in the early 1980s, the 205 was the savior. This report by Bavo Galama previously appeared in Auto Review. Bavo scours the autoland for every issue. He meets enthusiasts with petrol in their blood. Is there still a future for their passion? In the early 1980s, the Peugeot group was in financial trouble. In previous years it had purchased the ailing Simca, Sunbeam, Chrysler France and Citroën in order to achieve the necessary increase in scale. These brands (except Citroën) were brought together under the name Talbot, but instead of increasing the chances of survival, Talbot dragged the parent company further into the abyss. And when the need was greatest, a saving angel suddenly appeared exactly forty years ago.
Saving Angel
This time the design for the compact family car came from the company’s own design department led by C. A rectangular and somewhat boring proposal from Pininfarina was politely dismissed. In retrospect it was the right choice, because no fewer than 5.3 million copies of the company’s own design were built. The dying Lion was resuscitated in record time by a small elegant car bearing the number 205. A song that was immediately canonized in France: Le sacré numéro. Tip Not yet ready for the switch to electric driving? With Private Lease you can get into the iconic Fiat 500 Hybrid from just €279 per month. Woman’s car?
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After our conversation I walk through the large hall of Visscher Classique, where it all has to happen the next day. The 205s of all shapes and sizes are driven in, set up and polished. I immediately recognize a number of versions. For example, the Lacoste promotional model. You know, from that clothing brand with the crocodile. They were white copies with green accents, striking white plastic hubcaps and a sticker of the reptile on the fender. Only now do I discover that the car is also equipped with a horrible apple green carpet. Of course the bestseller Accent is there. But I also see the Junior and the last series that was for sale in the Netherlands, the closing sale model Génération. I also remember a model version called Roland Garros, but I don’t see that here anytime soon. A 205 GTI in striking metallic green. His name is on the side: Griffe. I think the greenery here is beautiful. “The three-door has everything that makes the 205 such a nice car, the five-door is quite boring.” Three-doors are more fun than five-doors Mario’s 205 Break is also there. It is a design by Benoît Cointreau, who presented it as the 205 Nepala. Then I notice something that I had never realized before. The five-door version largely lacks the charm of the three-door and is actually quite a boring and average car. However, the three-door has everything that makes the 205 such a nice car. This is mainly in the C-pillar. This makes it sporty and elegant and gives it a certain kind of class that is much less present in the five-door version. I also think that about the convertible. While in other cars a convertible is the chic version, in the 205 it has become a bit of a junk car. A fun fact is that the loser of the first hour, the famous Pininfarina agency, was allowed to design this open version again. As far as I’m concerned, it could have been better drawn in-house. Well, Johan Cruijff was also out of shape sometimes.
Bright red Jeep Then I come across a nice, small and bright red Jeep. I don’t immediately understand what it is doing among all those 205s. It turns out to be a Dallas. A French car builder first built this Jeep based on a Renault 4, and later on the platform and with engines and parts from the 205. So that Jeep is on display here completely legitimately. Under blue cloths A little further on there are also two very special 205 versions covered by blue cloths. Employees of the Peugeot 205-309 Club are taking the curtains off especially for me. This should be the Grande Surprise for the visitors the next day. Two rally cars appear. Peugeot once built three very special cars to participate in the famous Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Bright yellow 205s with extended wheel arches and enormous double wings. Really gigantic! If mounted upside down, they could earn the car a certificate from the Civil Aviation Authority. The three original cars have disappeared, dissolved, demolished, fallen apart or sold in parts. Anyway, they’re gone. But an Austrian has recreated…