With the fabulous Retromobile classic car show in Paris looming on the 28th of January (and keep an eye on the CompleteCar and 50to70 social media feeds for some fabulous content from that event…), Peugeot is going to use the opportunity to kick off what it calls its 'GTi Year.'
What is the GTi Year?
Well, this year, 2026, is, as it's the year that the GTi badge returns to the Peugeot lineup with the arrival of the electric Peugeot E-208 GTi. All 280hp, trick front diff, and sticky tyres of it. Peugeot wants a competitor for the likes of the Alpine A290, and the revival of the classic GTi badge gives the French brand just that. That new all-electric GTi will be on the stand, but there are bigger plans than just showing off the latest model…
So, what's happening at Retromobile?
Peugeot is on something of a mission to remind car buyers that it's not merely a maker of solid, sensible family conveyances, but also a genuinely sporting brand, famed for its drivers' cars and Retromobile is an ideal opportunity to delve back into the GTi archive.
At the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre, Peugeot is taking a massive 600-square-metre stand, which will, of course, feature the car that started it all - the original 1984 Peugeot 205 GTi, a car that became a genuine legend among driving enthusiasts.
How many 205s will be on the stand?
More than a few. The exhibition kicks off with the original 1984 105hp version, before moving on to the one-two punch from 1986, when Peugeot upgraded that model to 115hp and also introduced the amazing 1.9-litre 130hp 205 GTi.
Anything else?
Oh yes! There will be a convertible 205 CTI from 1996, and one of the awesome Dimma 205 GTis, with a wild, wide-body kit from Belgian tuning house Dimma Design - memories of Max Power will come flooding back.
Cool, but what about the competition stuff?
That's there too. Although it's not strictly a competition car, there will be a 205 GTi Griffe, a limited edition model (only 3,000 were made) with stunning green paintwork, dark wheels, and grey leather trim. These models were 'inspired' by the equally legendary Jean Todt, who was the competitions and racing manager at Peugeot for many years, masterminding the brand's rally successes in the 1980s, and its brace of Le Mans 24hrs wins in the 1990s, before moving on to dominate Formula One in the 2000s with Michael Schumacher and Ferrari.
Speaking of rallying, there will of course also be an example of the ultimate 205 GTi - the amazing 205 T16 Group B rally car (and it's 40 years this year since Group B had to be banned for being so fast and so dangerous) complete with its 300hp (maybe more, who knows…) mid-mounted 1.8-litre turbo engine, which took two world rally titles in 1985 and 1986.
Anything else on the stand?
Yup - Peugeot is collaborating with both the L'Avventure Peugeot museum in Sochaux as well as some of France's Peugeot GTi clubs, who are helping out with displays and on-stand info. There will also be displays of GTi engines, steering wheels, alloy wheels, and even a 205 GTi soap-box racer.