Peugeot 205 Turbo 16
The 205 T16 is Group B's most successful car: back-to-back world championships in 1985 and 1986 with Timo Salonen and Juha Kankkunen, a mid-engined 4WD silhouette hiding under a supermini's shape, and a Dakar-winning second act.
History
Jean Todt's newly formed Peugeot Talbot Sport built the 205 Turbo 16 as Group B's first fully optimized package: where Audi adapted a road car and Lancia bet on agility, Peugeot designed a mid-engined, four-wheel-drive prototype from scratch and dressed it as the 205 city car launching simultaneously in showrooms. The transverse 1.8-litre turbo four sat behind the seats, driving all four wheels through a lockable centre differential.
After a mid-1984 debut and Ari Vatanen's blistering early wins, the Evolution 2 of 1985 — bigger wing, more boost, over 450 hp — carried Salonen to the 1985 drivers' and manufacturers' double, repeated in 1986 by Kankkunen amid the season's tragedies and politics. When Group B was banned, Todt redirected the programme: T16-derived cars won the Paris–Dakar in 1987 and 1988 and Vatanen's Pikes Peak run in 1988 completed the type's second life.
Two hundred road-going T16s were built for homologation, all in dark grey; the twenty works Evolution cars are individually documented. The gap in value between the two tiers is enormous, and the model anchors any serious Group B collection.
Palmarès
World Rally Championship titles: drivers' and manufacturers' doubles in 1985 (Salonen) and 1986 (Kankkunen), with 16 WRC victories between 1984 and 1986 — the highest win total of any Group B car. Post-ban: Paris–Dakar victories 1987 (Vatanen) and 1988 (Kankkunen) with the 205 T16 Grand Raid, and Pikes Peak's 1988 record run with the 405 T16 evolution of the same platform.
What to check before you buy
Establish exactly which tier you're viewing: works Evolution 1/2 chassis (all known, PTS-documented), the 200 grey Série 200 road cars, or Grand Raid/reconstruction cars. Road T16s hinge on originality — matching XU8T engine, unmodified interior, documented kilometres — and values have tripled over a decade. For anything with claimed competition history, Peugeot Talbot Sport records and period entry lists are decisive; the rally cars' tube-intensive rear structure hides accident history well, so commission specialist inspection. Parts for the bespoke drivetrain are made-to-order: budget accordingly.
Did you know
- Every one of the 200 homologation road cars left the factory in the same dark grey — Peugeot judged colour choice an unnecessary production complication.
- The T16's engine was canted almost flat and mounted transversely behind the driver — its 'bonnet' was purely decorative, hinging the whole rear bodywork instead.
- Jean Todt leveraged the programme's success into leading Ferrari's F1 renaissance — the 205 T16 is where his championship-machine reputation began.
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View all →No exact Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 listed right now — here is closely related machinery on the market.
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