Widebody 1989 Peugeot 205 GTi Is A Throwback To The 1980s

If you have a thing for classic, light-weight European hot hatchbacks, one of your best choices for having fun is a Peugeot 205 GTi.

Take this white over black and red example that was recently auctioned off on Bring a Trailer. It has 86,000 miles (139,000 km) on the clock, a 1.9-liter petrol four mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox and a Dimma widebody kit. Other mods include the HP exhaust, Sparco strut tower bar, Volk TE37 alloys, plus an aftermarket steering wheel and shift knob.

The French hot hatch is extremely fun to drive and, despite a modest output, quite swift. That’s because the 205 GTI weighed around 900 kg (1,984 lbs), and its 1.9-liter inline-four produced roughly 130 horses. In a straight line, it could hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in under 8 seconds, which at that time was fast. Then there’s the five-speed manual gearbox, which is a must-have for purists.

Now, about that white elephant in the room, namely the wide body kit. According to the ad, the Dimma kit was fitted back in 1998 while the car was residing in Japan. It consists of fiberglass front fenders, rear quarters, rocker extensions and valances. It also has the 205 GTi-specific red beltline stripe, which matches the red Peugeot badge on the front grille.

Inside, there’s partial leather seats, red carpets and floor mats, the previously-mentioned custom steering wheel and shift knob, plus aluminum pedal pads. As you can see, there’s a trim piece at the top of the dashboard that’s missing.

If it were us, we’d go for a standard GTI without the body kit. In any case, the $12,000 reserve was not met despite the seller saying that the car was in perfect running condition. Perhaps it was the (not entirely convincing) Group B-wannabe kit that turned them away – or maybe 12 grand was too much for a 30-year old little Peugeot. America doesn’t really dig small cars, no matter how fun they might be to drive. Better luck next time, then.