This 1991 Peugeot 205 Rallye is considered by many to be the pinnacle of classic French hot-hatches. Showing just 68,735 km at the time of cataloging, this 205 Rallye is finished in White with the unique Talbot-Sport “Rallye” stripe graphics on the front grille and rear liftgate. Imported to the United States in 2021, this car is believed to have been delivered new to Spain, and spent time in the UK before landing in the United States. Built alongside the 205 GTI, which is also towards the top of the greatest hot hatch list, the 205 Rallye was developed as a less expensive version of the range-topping GTI, with improved suspension and power but with fewer luxury items offered. Although the de-contenting kept the price down, it also kept the weight low wich was important as the 205 Rallye was designed for “Group N” Rallye and was also homologated for Group A where it raced against Delta Intergrales and Ford RS Cosworths.
The interior is beautifully simple with just a pair of black cloth bucket seats up front, the Talbot-Sport logo embroidered, and some red accent stitching. Red contrasts are seen throughout the cabin, with striking red carpet and red seatbelts for the two front seats. The 3-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel frames a gauge cluster with a 230 km/h speedometer and a tachometer with a 7,000 rpm redline. If you are tired of modern cars filled with screens and digital displays, this 205 Rallye is the antidote to that, with a simple 3-dial ventilation system and a Kenwood radio/cassette head unit that sits at the base of the center stack, essentially out of view unless you’re actively looking for it.
Sitting under the hood is a 1.3-liter inline 4 that produces 102 horsepower and 89 lb-ft of torque. Although on its face, that hardly sounds impressive, the way it delivers that power is what makes the 205 Rallye so special. Breathing through a pair of side draft Weber carburetors that feed a race cam, the throttle response on this car is intoxicating, and when you consider that it tips the scales at just 1,750 lbs, it is plenty rapid. Power is sent through a 5-speed manual transaxle to the front wheels. Sitting behind the 13” white painted steel wheels are front disc brakes and rear drums from the 205 GTI 1.6 which are plenty to slow down this featherweight hatchback, and the tight suspension means that in hard cornering, the car is liable to lift the inside wheel. An aftermarket Vimesa muffler is fitted to this car, adding a bit of extra engine noise to complement the induction noise up front.
Between 1988 and 1992, Peugeot produced more than 30,000 205 Rallys, but due to their performance and accessibility, the number remaining on the road is a small fraction of that initial figure. Recently, these cars have become quite collectible in Europe, and enthusiasts are snapping them up, putting them in collections alongside far more capable supercars for the pure driving experience they offer.
