For many French people, summer holidays are synonymous with long journeys around France (or even further afield) by car. Bottle of water in the glove compartment, Michelin map in the door (later GPS on the dashboard), children in the back, car radio (later CD player) at full volume: the start of the holidays was initially felt with long hours in the passenger compartment of the family car.
Over time, and through nostalgia, some models have become associated with this special moment of summer. This includes the Renault Super Cinq and the Citroën BX, but also one of the star cars of the 1980s: the Peugeot 205. An emblematic model, which allowed the lion brand, then on the verge of financial collapse, to find a second wind during this decade.
From last chance model to phenomenal success
In fact, this is a Peugeot that had a very bad start in the 1980s, after the 1970s marked by the acquisition of Citroën and Chrysler Europe. The Sochaux brand had a difficult time during this period, which also saw the emergence of an offensive by Japanese brands in Europe.
The idea was to bet everything on the launch of a small, versatile car, with the Renault 5 in mind, launched in 1972 and number one in sales in France from 1974 to 1983.
The Peugeot 205 took this title from it in 1984, its first full year of marketing after its launch in February 1983. The beginning of a great success: throughout its fifteen-year history, the “sacred number” claims to have produced more than 5.2 million copies.
In November 1984, President François Mitterrand even sat behind the wheel of the 500,000th 205 produced at the Mulhouse factory.
In December 1985, the news programme on France 3 Alsace television dedicated it to him a report on the occasion of the production of the 1,000,000th copy: “The white GR model, destined for Cameroon, will leave the Mulhouse workshops at 5.20 p.m. sharp, after a 24-hour journey through the maze of assembly lines.”The journalist explains, specifying that the vehicle is offered in 23 different versions and five possible engines.
This wide variety of versions, with three and five doors, and engines (four petrol and one diesel at launch) will be one of the keys to the success of the 205, with power outputs ranging from 45… to 200 horsepower.
The sporty versions, with GTI and Turbo 16, will also help to reinforce the 205’s appeal.
Electric prototypes
A success that even extends to motor racing, with the 205 Turbo 16 that integrates the “Group B”top category of the World Rally Championship, with several constructors’ and drivers’ titles. A specially adapted 205 T16 also won two editions of the Paris-Dakar in 1987 and 1988.
The 205 was also ahead of its time, with around twenty electric prototypes being produced: the engine had a power of 8 kW (or 11 horsepower) and 6 V nickel-iron batteries (12 in total). Recharging took ten hours from a conventional 220V socket.
“In the context of the 1980s, the range is not at all ridiculous: 140 km in urban areas, 200 km at 40 km/h and 140 km at 70 km/h.”details a 2020 L’Argus article that takes up this ancestor of the e-208.
Mythic Ads
The 205 also marked its time with memorable adverts. The most cult one remains the one worthy of a James Bond. Launched in 1987, it sells the advantages of the GTI version, which escapes the threats of a fighter plane and a bomber in the setting of a frozen lake in the Alpine massifs. Magnificent!
More collegial, but very eighties, this spot broadcast in 1986 captures a great classic: a couple arguing. Obviously very angry, Madame boards a private plane in the middle of the desert, when Monsieur gets back into his 205. Then he begins a series of slips and jumps that allow him (very realistically, of course) to draw the word in the sand. “Bitch!”His companion’s laughter suggests a reconciliation during their reunion. “Optional right rearview mirror and aluminum wheels.”we can read at the end of this announcement.
An increasingly popular model
Production of the 205 ceased in 1998, after more than 5.2 million copies had been put into circulation. The model subsequently remained among the most popular in France and enjoyed great success in collecting.
The best-preserved 205s even break auction records, such as this 1987 GTI with less than 7,000 kilometres on the odometer sold for €82,700 in 2022.
And with a competition model we even come close to a million euros. The 205 Turbo 16 Evolution 2, winner of the 1986 Tour de Corse with Bruno Saby at the wheel, won a bid of 977,440 euros in 2021.
For the simple nostalgic, although second-hand prices have skyrocketed in recent years, we are still far from these peaks. At the end of 2023, a Leboncoin study cited by Décision Atelier indicated an average price of 21,000 euros for a 205, almost double that of 2020, a sign of a rating that is only increasing for the “sacred number” from Peugeot.
“Summer of the 80s” It takes you back 40 years through the 5 biggest commercial successes of the time. A series also available as a podcast.
Source: BFM TV
