Tuesday 28th November 2023

Special edition '208 Rallye' has us at hello...

And then goodbye, because of course it's too pitch-perfect to be a reality (in the UK, at least)

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What a wonderful and commercially exploitable thing nostalgia is, eh? Car manufacturers are nearly as adept at playing the wistful card as Hollywood is - especially as they speed up their efforts to sweep away more than a century of happy, petrol-scented memories. But this homage-special ‘208 Rallye’ isn’t the product of Peugeot’s marketing department - no, it’s apparently the brainchild of a single Swiss dealership that evidently spied the gaping hole in the current 208 lineup where something interesting should be. 

Garages Hotz SA (yep, really), a franchise Peugeot dealer, is obviously no slouch in the sticker department, nor in its study of the history books: its rally-inspired, available-for-£22k-ish take on the 208 is intended to pay tribute to 40 years of the 205 Turbo 16 - the deliciously bonkers Group B car that swept Peugeot Talbot Sport to a couple of WRC titles. Or at any rate, that’s what the website claims; visually speaking, the car’s most obvious points of reference are the 205, 106 and 306 models that made the Rallye name famous for a certain cross-section of Peugeot buyers (PHers, basically). 

However, before anyone gets too excited, it’s worth pointing out from the get-go that a) the special edition model is being assembled very far from here and is unlikely to ever see a UK numberplate, and b) its maker has opted to restrict itself to a visual makeover alone - underneath, it brings together a 100hp three-pot and six-speed manual in the established second generation 208 fashion. Which is to say forgettably. 

But it’s a measure of our yearning for yesteryear that even with that information tucked under the mental belt, the 208 Rallye still has us gawping at the pictures. Surely we’re not the only ones transfixed by the 16-inch steel wheels and the merest whiff of a body kit? Or the only ones surprised by how well the latest 208 - even in its default five-door format - absorbs the add-ons without looking depressingly naff? Had this been a Peugeot-developed product, with fifty more horsepower rung from its turbocharged triple and a chassis tweaked for fun, we might be talking goosebumps. Rather than the hump. Still, if you're reading this in Bern or Geneva, take note...

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[wistec1]

Missed opportunity comes to mind. Just as well they are all left hand drive.

[BogleDog64]

I quite like the look of this, especially the steel rims. would be a refreshing change for someone to spend a modest amount of money on it to provide the ride, handling, performance and stopping which it should have, rather than lashing out a fortune on a 205 resto-mod.

[florian]

The distance between the top of the front wheel and the top of the bonnet really ruins the looks. A pastiche of the (rather cool) 106 Rallye, nothing more. 100hp 3pot only? Hard pass!

[Tycho]

A sheep in wolf's clothing. Missed opportunity there.

[Slowlygettingit]

Er….. #victim

[Boom78]

BananaFama said:

White steel wheels make it look like a poverty model selling for £9995 .

Someone doesn’t know their rallye

[BananaFama]

Boom78 said:

BananaFama said:

White steel wheels make it look like a poverty model selling for £9995 .

Someone doesn’t know their rallye

Actually he does ,it still looks like the Dacia version .

I'm old enough to have seen the 106s and 205s on RAC Rally GB Lombard Network Q .

[pb8g09]

I know what it’s paying homage to. But I still think it looks rubbish. Steel wheels aren’t cool.

[blearyeyedboy]

pb8g09 said:

I know what it’s paying homage to. But I still think it looks rubbish. Steel wheels aren’t cool.

https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-spottedykywt/peugeot-205-rallye-spotted/39341

To those of us of a certain age (who don't count as cool any more), this looks spot on. Google the 106 Rallye for a newer (but still very old and very basic) take on it.

I would be tempted into suspension mods and just enough of an engine tickle to give it some pace. Too much power would be against the spirit of the Rallye series for me.

[xu5]

While I love the look of the classic flat white and PTS stripes it is a shame that this looks like it is destined to be a dealer special special pov spec 208 with some stickers, where an actual Peugeot Rallye is so much more.

[dunnoreally]

Do they not still make the 108 for Europe? I'd have thought that would be a more obvious place to start, what with the 1.2 weighing less than 900kg (according to Parkers) and that you can get one with the right amount of doors.

[munk]

So how much does one of these weigh? What's the power to weight?

[ZX10R NIN]

Missed opportunity if they'd put the GTI set up with the 3 pot drivetrain they'd have a winner.

[Turbobanana]

I like the idea of it, but as a former 106 Rallye Phase 1 owner the point they missed is the "stripping it bare to save weight" bit. The original, 1993 Rallye was only an 8v 1.3 with 100bhp (admittedly at 7200rpm) but it was quick because it was basic and weighed the same as a packet of crisps (actually 825kg, IIRC). You had to wind your own windows, lock your own doors, turn your own steering wheel (ie, no PAS) and, umm, imagine door cards that were big enough not to leave exposed metal on view, but none of that mattered because it was fun. Not many folks bothered to upgrade to alloys, although a few added front fog lights and those hideous, 90s pop-up sunroofs. And it would hit the redline with enthusiasm and engage in lift-off oversteer, while being small enough not to get you into too much trouble. I did over 13,000 miles a year in mine and loved it. At full chat the noise was addictive, so much so that I never put the radio on.

So come on, Garages Hotz, strip it out and let's have some real fun.

[GTRene]

I've owned a 106 rallye, a 205 rallye those were great and looked wel.

this though does not look good to me, also 5 door, its missing the cool factor.

but thats what I think.

[fantheman80]

Turbobanana said:

I like the idea of it, but as a former 106 Rallye Phase 1 owner the point they missed is the "stripping it bare to save weight" bit. The original, 1993 Rallye was only an 8v 1.3 with 100bhp (admittedly at 7200rpm) but it was quick because it was basic and weighed the same as a packet of crisps (actually 825kg, IIRC). You had to wind your own windows, lock your own doors, turn your own steering wheel (ie, no PAS) and, umm, imagine door cards that were big enough not to leave exposed metal on view, but none of that mattered because it was fun. Not many folks bothered to upgrade to alloys, although a few added front fog lights and those hideous, 90s pop-up sunroofs. And it would hit the redline with enthusiasm and engage in lift-off oversteer, while being small enough not to get you into too much trouble. I did over 13,000 miles a year in mine and loved it. At full chat the noise was addictive, so much so that I never put the radio on.

So come on, Garages Hotz, strip it out and let's have some real fun.

Fellow phase1 owner here to, a lovely black one I had when I was 19 back in 1999. I didnt put the radio on either...but that's cos it didnt work ha. Didnt care. I moved it on for a Saxo VTS which was never quite as special. Fair paly to the dealer for this 'tribute' I am also about to watch the Car SoS with the blue series 2...think someone is trying to tell me something. Right...off to the classifieds I go....

[Maccmike8]

Whos given it 3.5 stars?

[Hippea]

Love this and the steelies

[NelsonM3]

I love the concept. A stripped out GTi (no AC, rear seats, sound deadening etc) with that look would do quite well as long as they didn’t do a Porsche and charge you more for it.

Edited by NelsonM3 on Tuesday 28th November 21:48

[anonymous-user]

Sorry this looks $hit in my eyes, but then its French so ho hum, its a no interest whatsoever from me...