Heller 1/24

The Peugeot 205 is a four-passenger, front-engine, supermini (B-segment) car manufactured and marketed by Peugeot over a sixteen-year production run from 1983 to 1999, over a single generation. Developed from Projet M24 and introduced on 25 February 1983, the 205 replaced the Peugeot 104 and the Talbot Samba, using major elements from their design. It won What Car?'s Car of the Year for 1984. It was also declared "car of the decade" by CAR Magazine in 1990. Peugeot stopped marketing the 205 in 1999 in favor of its new front-engined 206. The 106, which was introduced in 1991, effectively took over as Peugeot's smaller front-engined model in their lineup. The latter was developed as a close sibling of the Citroën AX, sharing many components and a platform that later evolved into the Citroën Saxo. 

205 GTI/CTI

The 1.6 litre GTI was launched in 1984, and came with a XU5J engine, producing 105 PS (77 kW; 104 hp), for the 1987 model year the XU5J received the cylinder head with larger valves thus becoming XU5JA. The new engine was quoted for 115 bhp (86 kW; 117 PS).

The 1.9 litre GTI came with an XU9JA engine producing 128 PS (94 kW; 126 hp), although later models with a catalytic converter produce 122 PS (90 kW; 120 hp). Internally these engines are very similar, the main differences on 1.9 litre versions being the longer stroke, oil cooler, and some parts of the fuel injection system. The shorter stroke 1.6 litre engine is famed for being revvy and eager, while the 1.9 litre feels lazier and torquier. Outside the engine bay the main differences between the 1.6 GTI and the 1.9 GTI are half-leather seats (1.9 GTI) vs. cloth seats (1.6 GTI); and disc brakes all-round (1.9 GTI) vs. discs at the front and drum brakes at the back (1.6 GTI); as well as the 14" alloy (Speedline SL201) wheels (1.6 GTI) vs. 15" (Speedline SL299) alloys (1.9 GTI).

The 205 is still often treated as a benchmark in group car tests of the newest GTI models or equivalent. Peugeot itself has never truly recreated this success in future GTI models, although they came very close with the highly regarded GTI-6 variant of the Peugeot 306. A cabriolet version of the 205, known as the CJ/CT/CTI, was designed and partially assembled by Pininfarina of Italy. The CTI version offered the same plastic arches and wheels as the 1.6 GTI. Some later models incorporated the catalysed 1.9-litre engine.