Peugeot 208 GTI 30th | Spotted

While 205 GTI's 40th will pass without much fuss, the big 3-0 was marked in fine fashion

That Peugeot doesn’t have a hot hatch in its current lineup is sad. That one doesn't seem to be in the works is borderline inexcusable. Yes, for all the usual reasons that manufacturers should have fast five-doors available - it’s a good brand builder, it makes for an affordable performance car - but because its current 208 and 308 are actually quite good. Frustratingly, it’s when the standard models are at their best that Peugeot isn’t interested in making GTIs of them. Or even e-GTIs, for something a bit different; as per the combustion models, battery-powered 208s and 308s have been received well. We live in hope of a change in direction but don’t expect much. It seems that the days of Peugeot hot hatches - or performance Peugeots beyond the 508 Sport Engineered - are kind of done.

In the 40th year of perhaps Peugeot’s most famous performance car (the 205 GTI, in case Monday has got to you as well), that feels a particular shame. There’s been that funky Rallye concept from Europe, but anything even vaguely resembling a performance flagship for the current 208 looks extremely unlikely. Not only is that disappointing given how smart the current model looks with a few tweaks, it isn’t that long ago that Peugeot really cared about the GTI badge on its hatchbacks.

The 308 GTI was a great Golf rival, but today the attention is on the 208. The standard GTI was fine, if a bit forgettable. To mark the 30th birthday of the iconic 205 (and to give the Fiesta ST something to really think about), 2014 brought us a proper new Peugeot pocket rocket: the 208 GTI 30th. What could have been a mere anniversary special with a dubious two-tone paint job actually proved to be a bit of a hot hatch hero.

The negligible eight-horsepower gain (to 208hp) wasn’t the big news - the chassis changes are what really made the 30th. The tracks were wider than standard, the negative camber more aggressive and the brakes much bigger (among other things), with a limited-slip diff thrown in for good measure as well. The launch for it was brilliant: a kart track outside Paris, with both standard and upgraded cars to try. Where the regular GTI was vague and loose, the 30th was taut, direct, and a whole heap of fun. It was the best Peugeot hot hatch in yonks.

That impression was true on UK roads, too. The price had increased, yes, but the experience was befitting of a £23k hot hatch. People would point to the Fiesta ST, inevitably, though precious few of those were in anything less than ST-2 spec which would have been around £20k anyway. Here was a bonafide rival for the fast Ford of the moment with a lion on the front of it; for enthusiasts everywhere, that was good news.

Perhaps it was the paint, or the price, or the association with a fairly ordinary standard model, but you don’t tend to see many 30ths - or the later, mechanically identical By Peugeot Sport model - around. It wasn’t without flaws (the driving position didn’t suit everyone, for starters), and the 1.6 turbo was never the most tuneful of four-cylinders, nevertheless, this really was a real little corker of a hot hatch. It’s amazing to think that as recently as a decade ago Peugeot was making cars like this, the RCZ R and the 308 GTI. Great performance flagships all, now with nothing to follow them up.

This 30th is notable as one from that launch year, meaning it’s now 10 years old, as well as the two-tone ‘Coupe Franche’ paint and a very low mileage of just 31,000. Just 800 30ths were made, with 100 for the UK and 75 in the black and red - this is #17. The advert doesn’t do an awful lot more than list the standard kit (it mentions the diff, at least); that being said, what can be gleaned from the pics is encouraging. The wheels haven’t been kerbed, the bolsters haven’t been destroyed, and the matt paint still looks how it should.

The asking price is £10,499; plenty of Fiestas available for that money, sure, as well as dual-clutch Clios, which was part of the 208s problem when new. For a taste of the hot hatch old school, though, complete with manual gearbox and back-to-basics fun, there’s a lot to recommend a 30th. Even if maybe the paint still isn’t one of them.

SPECIFICATION | PEUGEOT 208 GTI 30TH

Engine: 1,598cc four-cyl turbocharged
Transmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive, limited-slip differential
Power (hp): 208@5,800rpm
Torque (lb ft): 221@1,700rpm
0-62mph: 6.5 seconds
Top speed: 143mph
MPG: 52.3 (NEDC)
CO2: 125g/km (NEDC)
Price new: £21,995
Yours for: £10,499