THE DETAILS / VOLUME 2 / PEUGEOT / 1980s
Peugeot 205 GTI
- Words
- Matt Wood
- Photography
- Nathan Duff
- Owner
- Clint Walzford
ANYONE with even a hint of octane flowing through their veins can’t help but be captivated by the era of the Killer B’s.
During the mid-1980s flying Group B rally cars hurtled down forest tracks as camera flash bulbs stuttered amongst the spraying mud. Spectators with no sense of self-preservation dove off the track and into the undergrowth at the last minute high on danger and adrenaline.
Barely resembling the production cars they were meant to represent, Lancia, Peugeot and Audi, amongst others, raced to push the envelope. Legends were born and also died ultimately bringing Group B to an end.
Clint Walzford’s 1987 Peugeot 205 GTI may look quite unassuming compared to the dirt eating monsters of the day. But in many ways this car is Clint’s homage to his own childhood experience of that era. The culmination of an Australian kid’s day dreams, borne of watching the Group B spectacle from the other side of the world.
Often touted as being the original hot hatch, this little GTI is a labour of love for Clint. “I’ve had it for about 3 years, it was a barn find of sorts.”
“A friend of mine’s Uncle passed away, and he had a few projects he’d been trying to do.” He gestures towards the white hatchback behind him, “There were 2 of these and a 405 donor car.” “So I got to pick the best bits and put it all together. There’s about 50 cars I’d love to own and this is one of them.”
Getting the GTI back on the road involved mainly weekends tinkering in the garage. Any major undertakings, like electrics were outsourced.
1987
Peugeot 205 GTI
He laughs recalling the process, “These things are made of eggshell! Every time someone hops in it I’m like; Don’t touch this-don’t touch that!”
“Every time I give it to someone to work on it comes back with something broken. The interior is half plastic and half glue!”
“I guess the French guys weren’t counting on the effects of Australian UV light when they built it.”
For Clint, the attraction isn’t borne of being a Peugeot enthusiast as such, rather it’s more from being a fan of old-school motor racing.
“I love 80’s Group B, but I love other stuff as well. And I guess I just like stuff that’s a little quirky, a little left field. And this is just evocative of the best era of rallying ever.”
A self-deprecating grin crosses his face and gestures towards the 205 saying, “Still, it makes me feel a little like Ari Vatanen when I drive it sometimes.”
Spending 7 years living in the UK broadened Clint’s automotive horizons quite a bit, “When the sun comes out in Britain, all the awesome cars come out too. You just see all these amazing cars that you almost never see.”
While Clint has always been a car nut of the first order it hasn’t always been about rally inspired hatch backs, or even European sports cars. There’s even been room for Australian muscle.
“Before I went overseas I had a 1972 Charger. It wasn’t the fastest thing on the road, but it was a little bit different and it was a lot of fun.” Unbidden an incongruous image of a young Walter Röhrl behind the wheel of a Chrysler Valiant appears in my mind’s eye then vanishes with an almost audible pop!
7 years
Living in the UK
“When I see it, in my mind’s eye I see a Group B rally car.”
This GTI is combination of phase 1 and phase 2 parts. The naturally aspirated 1.9 litre single overhead cam engine is, according to Clint, bog stock. But for Clint however, that’s just fine, “It’s raw when you drive it, it’s got really short gears.”
1.9 L
Naturally aspirated, single overhead cam
Phase 1 + Phase 2
A combination of parts
“The steering, the way it handles, you can see why back in the day everyone was like ‘Holy Crap!’ The way they just stick to the road!”
“When somebody else drives it they can’t believe how raw it feels.”
“These things are made of eggshell!”
While Clint would prefer to only use it for the occasional drive down his favourite piece of twisty road, the 205 still clocks up plenty of weekly kilometres on family duties. “In fact, I drive it more than I’d like to.”
“Every now and then I’ll be driving it, the engine note will be echoing off the houses and it just feels great. I’m sure when people see me driving it they just see a big grin on my face.”
“Most people don’t know what it is, but the people that do go crazy for it!”
The raspy exhaust note bounces off the concrete walls around us as Clint climbs behind the wheel and waves good bye. Even in that brief moment you can see the satisfaction he gets from owning and driving the GTi.
The Peugeot quickly disappears from view after a couple of enthusiastic gear shifts. A slight exhaust crackle punctuating the negative space between gears. I recall a couple of remarks made during our chat that sum up Clint’s relationship with the little hot hatch as the engine note fades into the afternoon traffic.
“This car is just my little thing you know.”
“When I see it, in my mind’s eye I see a Group B rally car.”
