Peugeot 106 GTI | PH Auction Block
The Peugeot GTI makes a comeback this year - no better time to remember an icon
People love to talk about how small, light, simple and manual cars don’t exist anymore. But they do. A Peugeot 208, in entry-level Style trim, costs less than £20k (or about £200 a month), comes in yellow as standard, and is powered by a 101hp, three-cylinder turbo that drives the front wheels through a six-speed manual. Better yet, that engine is now being overhauled to improve it, the 1.2 Turbo 100 - what a perfect name for a jazzy decal set - now set to benefit from a new injection system, a variable geometry turbo, new pistons, new block and a switch to a timing chain. In all, Peugeot reckons 70 per cent of the engine’s parts are new, which sounds like a pretty significant investment. Maybe there’s a future for the traditional supermini after all.
And while a humble 208 Style isn’t going to be a modern classic hero of the 2040s, a new 100hp engine is all the excuse needed to talk about another small Peugeot with a similar amount of power. The 106 GTI hails from that time when Peugeot could do no wrong: the 406 was a great family car (and a very handsome coupe), the GTIs were the class of the hot hatch field, and the Rallyes were legends in their own lifetime. The 206 might not have spawned another brilliant GTI like its predecessor did, but it was a hugely successful supermini.
This year we’ll see the small Peugeot GTI return, in the shape of the e-208. A very different prospect to the GTIs that have come before, with battery power, but like so many of the great Peugeots that have come before it looks brilliant and - by the standards of the genre, at least - doesn’t weigh very much. Let’s hope it’s good. The Peugeot GTI back catalogue deserves nothing less.
But if your idea of a lightweight Peugeot GTI weighs barely more than 800kg, then does PH Auctions have the car for you. This 106 has survived not far off 30 years without a single deviation from standard spec: the most significant modification is a set of mud flaps. The original stereo is there, the wheels are untouched - there isn’t even a hint of yellow on the foglights. It’s as pretty and as perfect as the day it was presented to its first owner in 1998.
And you probably don’t need us to tell you that 106 GTIs like this don’t come up very often any more. They were cheap and cheerful pocket rockets even by the standards of the 20th century, not really assembled with longevity in mind; certainly they weren’t ever driven with longevity in mind. But here’s one with fewer than 60,000 miles on it, in seemingly excellent condition.
To be sold with a fresh MOT, this 106 has been used sparingly for a while now, so you might want to consider fresh fluids before driving it down memory lane. On the other hand, there aren’t many hot hatches that are quite so appealing as static objects. Pretty to look at and fantastic to drive, the best Peugeot GTIs really were unrivalled. Some legacy for the e-208 to continue…
So, instead I bought a brand new 106 GTI. Best move I ever made. To this day, it's still the best handling, most fun car I've ever owned. Absolutely loved it, and have tried for years to buy one at sensible money. Sadly, people want the earth for them now.
So, instead I bought a brand new 106 GTI. Best move I ever made. To this day, it's still the best handling, most fun car I've ever owned. Absolutely loved it, and have tried for years to buy one at sensible money. Sadly, people want the earth for them now.
I still remember (late 90's or early 00's) the tail going light on my 306 GTI-6, close to death that day!
TX.
TX.
The 106 'QuickSilver' Edition model is basically the GTi looks and interior with a lower powered 1.4 litre 8v engine.
I can't recall what month the 306 GTi-6 was launched in, and it would have been over my band budget anyway. The 306 S16 might have still been around.
The Clio 16V had been discontinued the year before. In the end I plumped for a Clio 1.8 RSi in same Monaco Blue as the Williams 3. Surprisingly good little car for the time, even compared to the 205 GTi.
Very soon after I put my order in they launched the 106 GTI and Saxo VTS, which both had 120bhp. The Clio had 110bhp, but at least it was more than the Saxo VTR.
So, instead I bought a brand new 106 GTI. Best move I ever made. To this day, it's still the best handling, most fun car I've ever owned. Absolutely loved it, and have tried for years to buy one at sensible money. Sadly, people want the earth for them now.
I still remember (late 90's or early 00's) the tail going light on my 306 GTI-6, close to death that day!
TX.
I'd be chasing down M3's etc on back roads. Could they hell as like shake me off.
A Celica Lady in training...
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