Author: Luca Polizzi
1989 Series
My 205 GTI was a 1989 series 2.5, Australian delivered. This was red in colour and presented in original condition without any modifications.
The earlier 205 GTi came in 1.6L with 14inch pepper pot wheels and rear drum brakes. They had no power steering and no sunroof. Cloth seats and red carpets. Indicator lenses where yellow. The Gti later evolved to the 1.9L with rear Disc brakes, Power steering, AC, half or full leather seats and optional sunroof.
My 205 was a series 2.5. This car was basically an early version GTI but with the 1.9L engine, although with the smaller valve head.
The 205 GTi is a marvellous driving machine. IT is very light weight has excellent handling. The car feels very responsive to throttle and steering making this one of the most thrilling rides. In my ownership of this 205 GTi I did a whole lot of modifications and updates to the car. It was my little toy. The biggest modification being the engine conversion. Another fellow 205 enthusiast had imported a genuine Peugeot 405 T16 engine. I purchased this off him and installed it into my 205 GTi. I mated it to the 306 GTi6 gearbox that is a 6 speed. Haltech customer engine management system. The car was very rapid, made all the right Turbo charged noises and was a showstopper. I felt very privileged to have been able to achieve this. Afterall this was the only running 405 T16-engined 205 in Australia. I later built a customer 205 5 speed gearbox with the right gear ratios and final drive. This gearbox was a combination of 3 gearboxes and was absolutely perfect. Most of the above work was done by me at home. Cars and mechanics are a passion of mine. I eventually sold the car in 2016 or 17 and it went over east. The car is currently in storage.
1987 CTi
My Peugeot 205 CTi was a 1987 UK import. Peugeot Australia never sold 205 CTis in Australia that I am aware of. My 1987 was an early version. It had the 205 Si front and rear suspension. The SI was the family hatch that was sold in Australia as the base model below the GTi. Rear drums with 14 inch wheels. The engine fitted to these was the 1.6L Gti engine. Mine came with a 1.9L that someone upgraded to. 5 speed gearbox with pull up for reverse which was the BE1 (early model) gearbox. The interior was cloth with red carpet. Dashboard was early 205 GTi with sliding heater controls. These dashes were known for their weak structure but my dash was in very good condition.
The CTi chassis was heavily strengthened due to the lack of roof. The CTi overall chassis was therefore stiffer than the GTi. The Targa bar gave the CTi a cool touch while providing some extra safety. The hood was a black canvas like material with soft vinyll internal liner. It had a plastic rear window inbuilt in the hood. The passenger rear windows had a manual winder. With all the windows and hood down, the CTi had a very sporty and cool look. I hardly drove the CTi with the hood up and I thoroughly enjoyed the long drives with it. It was a go to car for summer and weekend drives.
1994 GTi Classic
The 1994 205 GTi “Classic” was a limited edition run marking the last 30 GTis sold in Australia. My GTi was number 21 of 30. These cars came in a series 3 specification. They have a plastic inlet manifold and 1.9L engine with big valve head. The interior is full black leather seats with dark gray carpets. Full sunroof was standard. The paint is Mayerling green. 15 inch wheels. Rear tailgate did without either reflective panel and plastic slate panel. There is a plaque on the dashboard stating the car number and the “Classic” sticker on the rear quarters and tail gate. All 30 of these cars were exactly the same spec.
My Gti had approx 148K Km and was in 100% original condition. The car originally came from NSW and seemed to have been a county car. In my ownership I decided to keep it as original as possible. I refurbished the braking system, replaced the exhaust with a factory original unit and updated the suspension to Gaz coil overs for better handling. I kept the original suspension. Full fluid flush and replace and it never missed a beat.
This car gave me the most joy as it was as close and faithful to the factory model as I had seen in a while. It felt like driving the car as if one was back in the 90s. I kept this car for about 5-6 years and enjoyed every moment of it. Attended many car shows and drive days and thoroughly enjoyed living with this icon. I sold the car in 2022 to a local Perth 205 GTi Enthusiast. This marked the last 205 experience for me…. Until the next one of course.
