You might think it's kind of obvious where the new, all-electric, 280hp Peugeot E-208 GTi takes its inspiration from…
Yeah, duh - it's the 205 GTi, innit?
Well, yes, of course, but maybe not entirely…
309 GTi? 306 GTi-6?
Hang on, before you just start maniacally listing classic Peugeot models, let's ask the man himself, Peugeot Design director Matthias Hossann, what was on his mind when he was working out the styling of the new E-208 GTi.
Yes, let's…
"Designing E-208 GTi was really a question of balance. Our philosophy was that we didn't want to go too far in one particular direction, so it's a balance between performance and elegance,” said Hossann. "We didn't want the exterior design to be too overstated or to show off too much. If you love cars, you will look at E-208 GTi and immediately see that it's a GTi because of its stance. If you're not an expert, you will still see a beautiful 208.”
That's an important distinction. Car nuts like us will instantly get the character of the E-208 GTi, but if it's going to be a commercial success, it has to appeal to a broader swathe of customers.
Is the E-208 GTi all that physically different to the standard 208?
Yes, it really is. The bodywork is actually lowered by 25mm, and the suspension tracks widened by 56mm at the front and 28mm at the rear. There's a rear spoiler, a front splitter, and a rear diffuser - finished in gloss black - and a distinctive new rear foglight, too. Wider wheel arches with flared lower sections accommodate those increased tracks and are highlighted with a red line, a proper nod to the original 205 GTi.
Click here to read all about the Peugeot E-208 GTi range and performance details.
See! I knew it! 205 GTi…
Yes, of course, but there's more to the look of the new E-208 GTi than just a 1980s update, as Hossann told us: "We have more than 200 years of history; heritage is our backbone and we are super respectful of that. But Peugeot also looks to the future. The reason we're still here after 200 years of history is that we're dedicated to producing carefully designed products for the new generation of customers.”
In fact, quite apart from the obvious influence of the 205 GTi, Hossann mentioned the 2018 E-Legende concept car, which updated the styling of the classic 504 Coupe, as a particular influence.
"With both cars, we take heritage but push it into the future. It's always interesting looking at past colours and shapes, then we tweak it and move it into the future to make it a proper Peugeot: said Hossann. "Once again, it's a question of balance. With E-208 GTi, there was no question of doing a purely retro design. But we did want to keep our heritage. We're really proud of that, but we wanted to twist it with innovation and push it into the future.”
Those wheels do look a bit familiar…
Yes, well spotted and those are most certainly inspired by the original Speedline alloys of the 205 GTi, although these ones are 18 inches in diameter, not the 15 inches of the original. "The wheels were inspired by the Speedlines from 205 GTi 1.9, but we designed them in-house and we had both 1.9 and 1.6-litre 205 GTi in mind. The centre curve is like the 1.6 and the exterior shape is more like the 1.9. It'll remind people who know all about 205 GTi of that car and people who don't know about that will still say it's a good rim,” said Hossann. Needless to say, there's a technical aspect to this too, as the wheels have to be designed to channel cooling air to the E-208 GTi's brakes.
There are more 1980s references in the paint options for the E-208 GTi, which include Okénite White, Elixir Red, Miramar Blue, Nera Black, Cumulus Grey, Selenium Grey and Agueda Yellow, all of which are set off with red pinstripes for the grille, and red highlights for the headlights, Peugeot front emblem, wheel arches, front brake calipers and C-pillar badges.
What about the interior?
As per the original 205 GTi, there are bright red carpets in the E-208 GTi's cabin, while the tiny steering wheel gets an Alcantara suede-like fabric rim. The red highlight on the rear spoiler has been designed so that you can see it in the rear-view mirror, while the front bucket seats get more Alcantara suede and more red highlights.
A job well done, then? Hossann reckons so: "I think E-208 GTi is a good example of using the right proportion of our heritage but taking it into in the future. This is the overall mindset that we have in the design studio when we're working on the next generation of Peugeot models.”