Delicious from Spain
Of course, the story of the Peugeot 309 GTI is not as fairytale as that of the 205 GTI. The 309 certainly has a special history. But this white 309 GTI, imported from Spain, does have the same wheels and 1.9 engine as the biggest 205 GTI. And make no mistake: despite its appearance, which some consider ugly, the 309 GTI was definitely part of the hot-hatch segment at the end of the 80s and early 90s.
As a sixteen-valve car, the Peugeot 309 GTI-16 was perhaps the most powerful GTI you could buy around 1990. Without a catalytic converter, it had a mighty 158 hp, even more than the acclaimed Opel Kadett GSI 16V. Such a 16V is very rare, but with 2 valves per cylinder less, this 8V is also a nice thing. The car comes from Spain, has no catalytic converter and therefore a strong 130 hp, and dates from 1988. It is a 309 from the first series, recognizable by the large rear lights. Later the 309 received a facelift in which the butt was addressed and the rear lights became smaller. That update was also the reason to supply a 16V version in addition to the ‘normal’ GTI, with the engine from the Peugeot 405 Mi-16.
An eight-valve, without cat, so with 130 hp.
309 GTI arrived in 1987
The 309 GTI came in 1987 and that was also the first year that Peugeot delivered the 205 GTI as a 1.9. With 130 hp, that was the GTI of that moment, and yet the somewhat dull 309, once referred to as Talbot but later presented as Peugeot, benefited from that success. It got the same power source, the same beautiful wheels and the external features did a lot of good for the GTI, which is only available as a three-door. It stood much better on its wheels than a normal 309. If it was pressing behind you, the four extra lights in the front bumper looked at you intently. The red trim also left no room for any misunderstanding. If he passed you, you saw that beautiful rear spoiler, mounted around the bottom of the rear window. What we are missing from these copies for sale is the original 309 GTI type designation. It should be as shown below.
The sun always shone for this 309 GTI for the first 35 years of its life. The Spanish license plate is still on it, and that A stands for Alicante. In any case, we hardly see any traces of the copper cad in the photos, with the exception of a significantly discolored parcel shelf. The cheeks of the sports seats, even though they come from the 205 GTI, look neat. Unfortunately, we cannot check the dashboard remotely for cracks, something that sometimes occurred in older interiors under the influence of the sun.
This 309 GTI has 144,000 kilometers on the clock. You should experience how hard life has been during a test drive. The experience of such an old GTI is really nice, and even by today’s standards, the Peugeot, weighing less than 1,000 kilos, is doing quite well. The 0-100 sprint should have been possible in 8.0 seconds when it was new. We doubt whether you still want to do that often after almost 36 years. The gearbox of such a fast Peugeot from that time requires a careful shifting hand.
205 GTI 1.9 easily twice as expensive
No, this 309 GTI deserves to be cherished, take it for a nice tour on nice days in spring and summer. Enjoying the character that modern cars no longer offer. Finally, the price. We are not saying that €12,500 is a bargain, but if you are looking for a nice 205 GTI 1.9, you will quickly pay double or even more. That is precisely what makes this 309 GTI so interesting.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl