62 modernclassics
EndangE r Ed spE ciE s‘you’rE grEEtEd bya mEtallic rasp thatrEvErbEr atEs aroundthE slim-pillarEd cabin’what
to payConcours
£6000
Good
£4000
Usable
£1950
Project
£950*Yes, Britishness. You see, while that rearing lion hails
from a homeland most commonly associated with garlic
saturation and dodgy automotive electronics, the 309 was
more British than poisson et frites. It was designed in
Coventry and assembled in Ryton, and a handlebar-
moustache-hair away from being sold under the London-
founded Talbot marque as a successor to the Horizon
(see last month's issue) before a last-second bigwig
backtrack. The Goodwood GTI embraced the Peugeot
309's second nationality even further by adding a generous
smattering of garnish anglaise.
Catching your eye on approach is the Metallic Pinewood
Green paintwork – a modern take on BRG – with chrome-
lipped anthracite Speedline alloys that appropriately set
the tone of stif led aggression (how very us). Frenchness is
still evident, though; you'll clock the quad Cibié driving
lights in the airdammed front bumper from the regular
GTI, and open a driver's door bereft of any form of
reassuring solidity (incidentally, whether you chose your
GTI in three- or five-door f lavour, the doorpans were a
direct carry-over from the 205 to save money, which many
believe came at the expense of proportional harmony).
Get in and your backside is greeted not by cheap fabric
with some sort of tragically dated pattern, but by a well-
bolstered chair swathed in black leather upholstery –
although admittedly it does feel a little downmarché.
Settle in and your paws land on the other Goodwood-
specific festoonery: an aluminium-bossed wood-rimmed
steering wheel and a matching timber-topped gearlever,
recalling those fitted to the type of machinery Stirling
Moss and his ilk danced around this circuit in its pre-1966
heyday. At least that was the idea; in reality they look a bit
aftermarket even if they do feel good in your palms.
Fire the 1.9-litre four-cylinder the 309 GTI shares with
the brawnier version of its baby brother, and you're greeted
by a metallic rasp that reverberates around the slim-
pillared cabin as you pull away. Visibility is excellent, and
although the engine can be tetchy below 2000rpm and the
throttle a touch too sensitive to crawl smoothly, low-speed
manoeuvres are helped by the standard-equipment power
steering. It was merely a cost option on the 205 GTI, and a
rarely specced one at that.
The stretched 205 f loorpanaddeda coupleof
centimetres to the boot via alongerwheelbase,which
already benefited from the 90°tiltingof thereartorsion
bar suspension’s shock absorbers.Openthefifthdoorand
you'll find – in addition to theGoodwoodedition's
newfangled six-disc CD changer–muchmoreroomto fit
whatever else an aspirationalprofessionalwithcirca
£14.5k to spare in 1992 mighthavedesired.So,the
practicality round of a siblingshowdownwouldgo to the
more mature if slightly dowdierbigbrother,butif we're
honest that's not really a hothatch'sraisond'être.
No, cars like this capture weenthusiasts’imaginations
with their dynamic capabilities;anythingelseis a bonus.
With our Anglo-French subject'sdrivetrainniceand
toasty it's time to lean on thegreasybits.The309'sbarely
insulated cabin is a forum ofencouragementas youstart
to stretch the engine, whichis tiltedbacktowardsthe
bulkhead for better balance,andsoundsso closethatyouBadgingincorporates
theGoodwood
cir cuitlayout.Claimedtop
sp eedwas
128 mph.