Peugeot’s 208 GTi celebration to bypass Australia

AUSTRALIA has not jumped in the queue to take an even hotter version of the 208 performance hatchback that will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the firebrand GTi badge.

Sime Darby, Peugeot’s official distributor in Australia, confirmed today that it would not be making a special order of the warmed-over limited edition model, which will commemorate the 1984 introduction of the performance badge with the original 205 GTi.

The limited-edition Peugeot Sport-tuned 208 GTi made its debut at last weekend’ s Goodwood Festival of Speed, where it joined a number of other specialists and newly introduced vehicles including the facelifted Ford Focus ST, and a rally-specification version of the Hyundai i20 earmarked to one day compete in the World Rally Championship.

As part of Peugeot’s homage to the GTi badge, the 208’s turbocharged 1.6-litre engine – complete with a fuel-miserly idle-stop system – has received a work-over to bump its output to a symbolic 208 horsepower, or about 153kW of power, compared with the regular 208 GTi’s 147kW output. Torque, meanwhile, jumps by 25Nm to 300Nm.

The extra poke is enough to launch the 208 GTi Limited Edition from 0-100km/h in 6.5 seconds, 0.3 seconds faster than the slightly less performance-oriented version.

A highlight of the anniversary model, however is an optional “coupe franche” paintwork, featuring a sharp line that divides the front of the three-door hatch from the rear.

Under the two-tone skin, the anniversary edition sits on suspension that is 10mm lower, with cornering enhanced further by a track that is 22mm wider at the front, and 16m wider at the rear.

Peugeot has also tweaked suspension settings and the 208 GTi’s roll bar to give it better road-holding ability. The Michelin tyres, wrapped around 18-inch alloys finished in matte black, are also half an inch wider than the mainstream 208 GTi and receive their power from the same Torsen differential that can send drive to the front wheel with the most grip, and six-speed manual gearbox, as the RCZ R.

Stopping power comes from bigger 323mm discs up front wrapped in four-pot Brembo calipers.

Also helping with the more performance-honed look are matte-black finishes to exterior trim that is usually finished in chrome on the 208 GTi, twin chrome exhaust tips, and a 30th anniversary badge on the front guards.

Inside, the trim changes to lacquered black, while black door handles with a red line echo the seat belts.

Floor mats are trimmed in red, while the front bucket seats take a step up in line with the extra performance to feature more sticky Alcantara material, contrasting red stitching and a black dotted mesh pattern with red highlights.

Peugeot says it has sold 10,000 208 GTi hatchbacks worldwide since the car’s debut last year.