Peugeot’s 205 GTi was crowned the ‘Greatest Ever Hot Hatch’ at the 2016 Performance Car Show, following a comprehensive selection and reader voting contest.
An initial shortlist of 50 was chosen by UK automotive experts, before a global public poll saw the Peugeot 205 GTi take the crown. An overwhelming winner, the Peugeot 205 GTi, was announced by triple BTCC Champion, Matt Neal at the show, which is part of Autosport International.
The final top 10 were displayed at Hot Hatch Nirvana at the Performance Car Show, at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham from 14th to 17th January, and included some of the most iconic and desired cars of the last four decades; Peugeot 205 GTi 1.6, Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evolution 1, Ford Escort RS Cosworth, VW Golf GTi MK1, Renault Clio Williams, Renault Clio 182 Trophy, VW Golf GTi Mk2, Renault 5 GT Turbo, Ford Focus RS MK1, Talbot Lotus Sunbeam. The Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evolution 1 came second, whilst the RS Cosworth from the mid-1990s, completed the podium.
Steve Cropley (Autocar’s Editor-in-Chief), Matt Prior (Autocar Road Test Editor), Dan Trent (PistonHeads.com Editor), and Richard Bremner (Autocar Contributing Editor and overall curator), came together to compile the list of 50 contenders, which then went to a public vote.
Richard Bremner, said of the winner: “The Peugeot 205 GTi was unbeatable for its sheer rev-happy, go-hard verve and subtly perfect styling. Lightning-quick gearshifts, urgent power delivery, blade-sharp steering and deliciously driftable handling made the 205 an overnight hot hatch king. And it was practical, too. For many it has never been bettered as its victory in this Pistonheads and Autocar readers’ vote confirms.”
The 205 GTi was launched in 1984 and helped make the Peugeot brand synonymous with the hot hatch movement of the mid-1980s. Offered with 1.6 and 1.9-litre engines, the latter of which developed 130bhp from 1987 onwards, and weighing just 850kg, the 205 GTi delivered sports-car rivalling pace coupled with the practicality and versatility of a small family car. The ‘pocket-rocket’, attracted a very strong and enthusiastic following that led to 294,514 being made between 1985 and 1994. Produced in both 1.6 and 1.9-litre versions, the 205 GTi road car drew plenty of critical acclaim for its driving experience, engaging handling and affordable smiles-per-mile. As well as being a monumental sales success, the 205 GTi was also highly credited in the motor sport world. The accomplished 205 T16 convincingly won the 1985 and 1986 World Rally Championship and the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1987 and 1988.
As well as a top ten of public-voted hot hatches, visitors to Hot Hatch Nirvana at the Performance Car Show were treated to a display called Evolution of the Hot Hatch, which featured 10 hot hatches that have defined the genre for more than the last forty years. The display covered all of the key hot hatches that have moved the game on time-after-time. One of the latest models displayed, fittingly, is the 308 GTi by Peugeot Sport, to be launched in Ireland this February.
