Peugeot 405 T16 – Driving impression – From the old box

Peugeot got back on its feet in the 1980s after a particularly difficult financial period and managed to turn the tide with the 205 and big brother 405. Like its little brother, the 405 was warmly received and as a result, the cash registers at Peugeot were ringing happily. In the Netherlands, the 405 became Peugeot’s best-selling mid-sized car in modern history. The counter would eventually stop here in 1997 at more than 80,000 copies. After top years 1989 to 1992, a subtle facelift had to keep the 405 fresh for a while, but that could not prevent sales from falling after 1992. The arrival of an extremely potent top version did not change that either, but the Peugeot 405 T16 was of course not intended for that.

In a sense, the Peugeot 405 T16 was primarily a prestige project. We already knew the designation T16 from the extremely exclusive 205 T16, with its mid-mounted engine and considerably expanded body. A homologation car that essentially shared little with the 205s that went to mere mortals. The 405 T16 was of a different kind. That was basically a ‘regular’ 405, with an extra potent engine and various technical and external adjustments. He earned the T16 designation thanks to the sixteen-valve engine with turbo and intercooler. A 2.0 that put out 200 hp and with overboost temporarily 220 hp. This made it a lot stronger than the most powerful 405 until then, the 160 hp 405 Mi16, which had to do without a turbo.

Peugeot 405 T16

Outwardly, it was not easy to distinguish the Peugeot 405 T16 from the Mi16. The T16, like its slightly less fortunate brother, received slightly thicker bumper work and a rear spoiler that would today be described as ‘subtle’. The 405 T16 was also mounted on the already well-known alloy wheels of the Mi16. Under the skin there were indeed big differences, except for the engine of course. The 405 T16 had permanent four-wheel drive, front and rear disc brakes with ventilated front ones and a limited-slip differential that could be electronically adjusted at the touch of a button. Of course, the equipment of the 405 T16 also belonged to the crème de la crème of the 405 range. For example, you took a seat in sports seats, you were surrounded by an interior finished with Alcantara and leather and, in addition to central locking and electrically operated windows, there were automatic climate control and (as an option) an electrically operated sliding-tilting roof.

Exactly thirty years ago we were able to see and experience all this beauty up close: “The 405 T16 only needs 7.1 seconds to sprint from zero to one hundred and reaches 235 km/h. It is a neat-looking and comfortable car that looks like an arrow takes off from a bow and makes flashy overtaking maneuvers possible. In addition, it runs on rails and, even when wet, it lies like a house on the road. The four-wheel drive allows incredibly high cornering speeds. And the car brakes as if the best. A lot of switching is not even necessary, because the maximum torque of 288 Nm is present between 2,600 and 4,500 rpm. Is there really nothing to criticize? Yes, the clutch works pretty heavy and switching is a bit difficult.”

All in all, it was an impressive sporty splurge, which unfortunately came with a correspondingly hefty price tag. The Peugeot 405 T16 cost no less than 80,000 guilders in our country when it was launched in 1993. It was certainly an exclusive story. In total, only slightly more than 1,000 copies were built.