Tuesday 4th September 2018

Peugeot 405 Supertourisme: Time For Coffee?

How best to celebrate 30 years of the 405? A 9,000rpm video, of course!

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Hands up who loves old Peugeots; hands up who also loves old touring cars. Quite a few of you, hopefully. Well here we have a video that combines two of our favourite things, plus celebrates a significant birthday too - 30 years of the Peugeot 405.

Yes, it really was 1988 when the 405 first arrived and revolutionised the family saloon market. It was good to look at, great to drive and a breath of fresh air in a sector of Sierras and Cavaliers. Not only did it spawn the famed Mi16 road car, there were numerous 405 motorsport specials; the T16 Pikes Peak and Dakar car, most notably, but also a Super Touring tin top, as seen here. The 405 left behind quite some legacy, one that Peugeot has arguably struggled to match since.

Anyway, here we have one of those Super Touring cars strutting its stuff like it's 1992 all over again. Quite some spectacle it is too, engine shrieking to 9,000rpm and slender kerbweight ensuring 290hp goes a long way. The 405 is big enough to look purposeful, small enough to look almost delicate against more modern cars and, well, pretty damn great if you ask us.

Unsurprisingly, 30 years after a launch as a run of the mill family car and with stocks savaged by scrappage schemes, any kind of 405 is a rare sight in 2018. It would be amazing to find many race cars left either, so kudos to this guy for keeping one running in such rude health - turn it up and enjoy!

 

[binnerboy]

many many hours lost to european hill climbing videos on youtube

that one looks like the Swiss one as there is a sign for gare st ursanne.

[NickGRhodes]

I think these were built for Italian Touring Cars, seemed to be more competitive than the 405s running in BTTC (Longmans), I don't know if it was due to different regs, but the Supertourisme was a bit faster than the ones racing in the UK - to the point where the Italian team came over to help Longmans out.

[F1GTRUeno]

Supertouring was so, so good.

[DanielSan]

NickGRhodes said:

I think these were built for Italian Touring Cars, seemed to be more competitive than the 405s running in BTTC (Longmans), I don't know if it was due to different regs, but the Supertourisme was a bit faster than the ones racing in the UK - to the point where the Italian team came over to help Longmans out.

It was all supposed to be the same regs but as always rules are ‘interpreted’ differently.... I can’t find the image but there’s a picture of one of the German 406 Supertourer’s and the driver is near enough sat in the middle of the car, the BTCC cars had the drivers on the left as the rules were supposed to be.

[Nick928]

"1988 when the 405 first arrived and revolutionised the family saloon market"
Revolutionised, are you serious?
Think there's a little bit of selective memory going on here.

[F1GTRUeno]

DanielSan said:

NickGRhodes said:

I think these were built for Italian Touring Cars, seemed to be more competitive than the 405s running in BTTC (Longmans), I don't know if it was due to different regs, but the Supertourisme was a bit faster than the ones racing in the UK - to the point where the Italian team came over to help Longmans out.

It was all supposed to be the same regs but as always rules are ‘interpreted’ differently.... I can’t find the image but there’s a picture of one of the German 406 Supertourer’s and the driver is near enough sat in the middle of the car, the BTCC cars had the drivers on the left as the rules were supposed to be.

Remember STW 406's were full Peugeot Sport efforts whereas BTCC 406's were built by MSD and nowhere near as successful.

Rumours were Peugeot Sport didn't want to give MSD any help because MSD ran Hyundai Coupes in WRC kit cars against the 306 Maxi.