Classic cars with history: the 505 GTI, an 80s saloon that could reach 200 km/h

The Peugeot 505 GTi could not be missing from our classic cars with history. This French saloon is one of the most successful models of the lion brand. It reached the market in the 1980s and managed to get into a large number of markets. The strong points of the Peugeot 505 GTi were its reliability and its sportiness.

Specifically, the Peugeot 505 was born in 1979 and was a saloon belonging to the E segment, the one corresponding to mid-size saloons, and it reached a market in which mainstream brands had a much greater presence. Production of this saloon began in Sochaux, France, although very soon it also reached the brand’s plant in Vigo, part of the PSA Group.

Besides Europe, the Peugeot 505 was sold in China, Australia, India, Argentina and New Zealand. More than 1,350,000 units were sold. At the end of 1987, production on the old continent began to decline due to the arrival of the Peugeot 405; four years later, in 1991, the Peugeot 605 arrived and production of the Peugeot 505 was halted.

This is the Peugeot 505 GTi

In some places, the French saloon received the nickname ‘workhorse’, and in some countries the model had some very surprising uses. The Peugeot 505 was a very robust model that was used as if it were an off-roader, and it was also a very easy and affordable car to maintain thanks to its simple mechanics. Today it is quite easy to find units of this French mid-size saloon still running at full performance.

This model was not only used as a work vehicle. The Peugeot also wanted to become a sporty saloon. During its production years, the French brand decided to launch a sporty version: the Peugeot 505 GTi, a variant that fitted a four-cylinder engine capable of delivering 130 CV of power, or a V6 engine that reached 170 CV. This specific version featured alloy wheels, a rear wing and a small rear spoiler aimed at improving aerodynamics.

With the restyling, the Peugeot 505 GTI improved its safety systems by adding some elements and some new visual changes. It is important to highlight that the Peugeot 505 GTI with the 130 CV engine reached 120 km/h and could maintain that speed easily. The V6 engine was developed in collaboration with Volvo and was also fitted to the Volvo 760 GLE. It had Bosch LH 2-2 electronic fuel injection. It accelerated from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.6 seconds and was capable of reaching a top speed of 200 km/h.