This Peugeot 205 GTI restomod brings together the best of the past and the present

Classic car restoration and restomod specialist Tolman Engineering has brought back one of the most iconic compacts of the 1980s, the Peugeot 205 GTI. A French compact that went head to head with major rivals such as the Golf GTI, the Opel Kadett GSI or the Renault 5 GT Turbo, among others, and that also won the hearts of many thanks to its very aggressive design, a really cool sound and a sporty behaviour that was a benchmark in its segment.

However, nearly 40 years after it went on sale, the 105 CV from its naturally aspirated 1.6 engine, for a total weight of 890 kilos, seem modest when compared with the power figures of today’s sporty compacts. Tolman Engineering has set out to address this by increasing its power and improving its tuning.

The important things are inside

With a design section that remains practically intact compared with the original model, the Tolman team has focused on improving the overall package as much as possible while affecting its originality as little as possible: only its headlights have been swapped for LED units, its windows are now electric, and its “infotainment system” has replaced the cassette radio with a modern system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

But the biggest new features of this restomod lie under the skin: you can fit a 1,600cc or 1,900cc engine modified to produce up to 200 CV, thanks to a modified ECU, a stainless steel exhaust system or even a Qualife ATB limited-slip differential, which is part of its list of options.

Even better dynamics

As regards its dynamic side, the Tolman Edition 205 GTI has gained above all in stability: it fits a damper system signed by Bilstein, a made-to-measure anti-roll bar for the model, and AP Racing brakes that offer a much more capable bite than its standard braking system.

As often happens with this type of restomod that leaves us drooling, the price tends to be considerably higher than we would like: in this case it comes to no less than £55,000, or roughly €63,800 at today’s exchange rate.