66 MODERN CLASSICS
ENDANGERED SPECIES
PEUGEOT 309 GTI GOODWOOD
Engine 1905cc, 4-cyl, SOHC
Transmission FWD, 5-speed manual
Power 128bhp@6000rpm
Torque 122lb-ft@4750rpm
Weight 950kg
PERFORMANCE
0-60mph 8.0sec
Top speed 128mph
Economy 36mpg
proportionsor fire-spittingGroupBconnotations that its
littlebrothertradesonso heavilytoday,butit has no lack
ofthequalitiesthathavetraditionallyturneda forgotten
relic into a rarefied classic. As well as being more
accomplished than the 205 – in terms of both everyday
practicality and on-limit predictability – it has pedigree,
the respect of those in the know, and modern rarity.
Values are future roofed b attrition rates alone;
salvageable
inoffensive enough, but the exhaust note can soon become The Modern Classics View
a wearing drone and keeping the car on course can be too
demanding of your concentration. You're also perched too
high in the cabin to ever feel truly 'at one' with the car – a
hair-gel-on-the-headlining problem for six-footers – and
the low-angled steering column has zero adjustability.
But these are minor f laws, and shouldn't be enough to
put you off considering a 309 GTI. It's a thrilling drive in a
practical package, with genuine competition pedigree and
a bur eonin ability to turn heads. And in Goodwood form
an extra
touch of class and collectability about it.
Only 398 were made; not even 10% remain.
While 205 GTI survivors are still
comfortably in four figures, big brother is
fast becoming an endangered species with
fewer than 100 left in the UK. Yet the
vanishingly rare 309 GTI will still set you
back roughly half of what an equivalent
1.9-litre 205 will. If you've been frustrated
by the seeming lack of modern-classic
performance bargains, it's time to act now
before another one passes you by.
broken for spares. While supply dwindles,
demand can only grow as nostalgic
enthusiasts look for antidotes to modern
mundanity and find a 205 too expensive, a
Golf too sterile and an Escort too Essex.
The 309 GTI may not be as iconic as
its shouty little sibling, but it offers a
convincing dynamic riposte. The fact it's
never been hobby-horsed has endangered
the species, but also makes it a refreshing
modern classic proposition today.Every
last survivor deserves to be saved.
