Peugeot Tolman Edition 205 GTI

40 years ago, Peugeot began production of a car that would be recognised as one of its greatest achievements, the 205. What Car?’s car of the year for 1984, CAR Magazine’s car of the decade in 1990, the small, fun and practical hatchback enjoyed huge commercial and critical success throughout its 15-year, 5,278,300 unit production run.

The most adored amongst these was the GTI variant, with its 126bhp on tap, Speedline alloy wheels, disc brakes and engaging driving experience. The 1.9-litre version could launch to 62mph in 7.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 128mph, giving thousands of enthusiasts their very first taste of real performance. One of those enthusiasts was Chris Tolman, founder and director of Tolman Engineering. His father worked at a Peugeot-Talbot dealership, and after attending the launch night of the 205 GTI, Chris has been in love ever since. That love manifests itself in Tolman’s endeavour to produce the ultimate Peugeot 205 GTI.

The GTI is still revered as one of the very best hot hatchbacks, but inevitably, performance, reliability and convenience have come a long way in the 40 years since its production. Today, the Peugeot can be seen to fall short in these areas against its 21st-century rivals.

Enter, the Tolman Edition 205 GTI, a Peugeot restomod from the Warwickshire specialist. Built to each customer’s unique specification, it is arguably the definitive iteration of the French legend. The brief is simple on paper, create a car that evokes the feeling of driving a well-sorted example in period, the way people remember the 205. The execution is far more complex.

So much more than simple modifications, all Tolman Editions are first subject to a full nut-and-bolt restoration. Each car is stripped back to its bare metal shell, and treated to anti-corrosion, stone chip and ceramic coating protection. From this first step, to the customer collecting their keys, over 700 hours of expert work is lavished on each model. Ported cylinder heads, ECU, fly-by-wire throttle and the option of a 16V cylinder head are amongst the many upgrades present under the hood, and the Tolman team draws on its combined decades of motorsport and restoration experience to enhance every driving sensation. Customers may choose between a standard edition model, or the top-spec ‘evo’ version, with all the Tolman trimmings. The latter makes 200bhp, which, in a chassis of under 900kg, powers the GTI to 62mph in 6.5 seconds, and on to a top speed of 140mph.

The bespoke stainless-steel exhaust features a turned-down tailpipe, whilst the custom cam cover is inspired by the Group B rally legend, the 205 T16, all in the pursuit of perfection and respect for the original. Attention to detail extends to the interior, where the 205 features options such as the seamlessly integrated Bluetooth/handsfree connectivity, air conditioning and a digital instrument cluster, with a custom interface that exactly matches the original’s analogue dials. A twist of the headlight controls not only activates the LED beams, but also replicates the yellow glow of illuminated dials on-screen.

11 months after the unveiling of its first customer example, Tolman now has orders from all over the world, and the limited 25 allocations are filling up. Prices start at £65,000 but, with a high level of customisation available at the customer’s discretion, can go higher. More ‘Tolman Edition’ cars are planned based on 80s and 90s classics, and all will maintain the same key pillars found in the 205 GTI; authenticity, refinement and performance.

“Many people have incredibly fond memories of owning and driving the 205 GTI in period. With the Tolman Edition, we sought to engineer those incredible and nostalgic driving sensations into our car, directly,” explains Chris Tolman. “Where the original may inevitably be showing signs of its age, our car stands as an opportunity to rediscover the magic, and we’re delighted with the response it receives from customers, critics and fans alike.”