With revelations abound ahead of the Paris Motor Show this year, Peugeot has finally dropped a sporty variation bomb on us all for their 208 line-up. Yes, it’s the 208 GTi and its 1.6L turbo charged engine packs a hefty 197bhp right-hook and 275Nm of torque for a round-house, having lost about 165kg in comparison to its older 207 GTi – just to get into 1,160kg weight class.
Equipped with a close ratio 6-speed manual transmission, stiffened corner-hugging suspension, sharper steering and a set of thicker anti-roll bar – the new GTi is claimed by Peugeot to sprint to 100kmh in under 7 seconds! And if it’s the track you desire, fear not, its ESP can be entirely switched off.
The upcoming 208 GTi will get an initial run of 50 units that will come in all colours of your imagination, so long as it’s in white and will feature a set of 17″ Onyx Black alloy rims, a touch blue, white and red from the French ‘tricolore drapeau’ almost hidden by the gaping front chrome-accented grille with a chequered-flag motif. Gloss black rear-skirt and trapezoidal exhaust tips beneath the rear hatch-mounted spoiler basically rounds off the exterior goodies.
There will be Club Nappa leather mixed in with Caro Weave cloth and contrasting red stitching within the cabin as well as an aluminum shift-knob and a flat-bottomed steering wheel while the instrument cluster gets red LED lighting with white needles. Ooh la la!
Release date is estimated by Peugeot to be some time around the second quarter of next year, but before that, it will take its first bow at the up-coming Paris Motor Show very soon!
