Mid-Engine Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Celebrates Group B Rallying Halcyon Days

There’s an old saying that racing improves the breed. That has been proven again and again, as many features, such as disc brakes, were first developed for motorsport use and later found their way into production cars. However, homologation specials kinda flipped this idea onto its head.

Group B rally cars are a prime example of that. FIA rules mandated 200 road cars being built for a model to be eligible for the series, way less than other championships. Manufacturers jumped on the opportunity, encouraged in part by the relatively lax legislation that had few restrictions on technology and, thus, gave them lots of freedom in developing the race cars.

Having launched the 205 in 1983, Peugeot chose it as the basis for its world rally car championship. The 205 Turbo 16 was unveiled at the 1984 Geneva Motor Show and, despite the visual similarities, it was unlike any other version. It sported a bespoke bodywork and interior and, more crucially, while other 205s had the engine up front and were front-wheel drive, the Turbo 16 was mid-engined and all-wheel drive. The four-cylinder was based on the cast iron block of the diesel version of the (then new) XU family, although it sported a specially developed 16-valve head and, with the help of a turbocharger, delivered 197 HP (200 PS).

Peugeot is said to have made 219 road-legal cars, all of them in Winchester Grey. Well, actually not all of them: Jean Todt, who was then head of Peugeot Talbot Sport, the outfit that raced the car in Group B, allegedly asked for four cars to be painted in the same white color as the rally racers. They would be allocated to himself, Peugeot president Jean Boillot, French racing driver Didier Pironi, and Peugeot Sport technical director André de Cortanze.

This example that will go up for auction at Aguttes On Wheels on March 21, chassis 33 of the original “Serie 200”, is thought to be the one used by Todt himself, although this cannot be confirmed. According to the current owner, both the engine and gearbox are original, output has been boosted to 227 HP (230 PS), and the car has just been serviced and fitted with a new petrol pump and timing belt. The bodywork, apart from the stickers, is also original and the car sits on new Michelin TRX tires.

This 205 T16 seems to be in tip-top condition and its odometer reads just 9900 km (6150 miles). Which, we guess, is one of the reasons why the auction house expects it to fetch between 300,000-400,000 euros ($357,990 – 477,320). Well, no one ever said that homologation specials go for cheap…