Forget the new chalet and get yourself this immaculate £235k Peugeot 205 Turbo 16

C’est magnifique! Just look at the immaculacy of this Peugeot 205 Turbo 16, which is going under the hammer at Iconic Auctioneers for a starting price of £235k, with the eventual buyer likely forking out closer to the price of a three-bed in Devon.

This particular example (number 176 of 200) is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and despite the grey hairs, it’s seen less than 10,000 miles of tarmac in that time. Its condition probably makes it the George Clooney of the car world, right?

It’s the homologation of the loose surface monster which participated in the World Rally Championship’s terrifying Group B era, and barring the doors, headlamps, and windscreen, it shares nothing else in common with the standard car. Get ready for some mouthwatering mechanical info.

Power is supplied by a turbocharged, fuel-injected 1.8-litre four-pot. This was designed specifically with a 16-valve cylinder head, which means it sends 197bhp to all four wheels through a transversely-mounted five-speed manual.

Combine this with the unique ‘epicycle’ front-diff - which allows it to ghost its power between the axles - a half-steel monocoque chassis, and a 45:55 weight distribution in favour of the rear, and the result is… well, magnifique. It’s back-to-basics engineering which serves as a reminder as to what Peugeot could create before the dark years of the 308 CC.

All this mechanical goodness is then masked by a not-so-subtle body, key details of which include arches wider than Darwin Núñez's shooting ability, rear-three-quarter air vents the size of jumbo jet engines, and best of all, white steelies to set off the Winchester Grey paint. 

The interior is equally retro, boasting two-tone grey cloth and leather-clad seats with red detailing. All came as left-hand drive only since Peugeot was racing against the clock to get these cars finished. Despite this, the 205 Turbo 16 is one of the finest hot hatchbacks ever conceived. Small wonder why most of us motoring anoraks keep dreaming about the Eighties.

Anyone willing to go halves and share the logbook?