Yes, this is one enjoyable post for all you Francophiles out there, as I seem to have captured a Peugeot icon in my dash-cam. And driving this 205 was someone not content to hang about, as you’ll see.
Much like the Subaru Pickup driver who was harrying his classic through traffic, so did the driver of this late model 205, driving much faster beyond his car’s nineteen-or-so years:
Pay attention at 0:37- on the right is a very rare car in Israel, a Focus ST.
If you notice, this 205 had had it’s top panels resprayed in a lighter blue, as was the tail-gate. I suspect this was a remedy to a nasty illness all PSAs of the era suffered from, especially in Israel- destruction of the clear cote by an unforgiving sun. Only cars that were kept under a protective roof escaped this fate, but you can still see Citroens and Peugeots sporting top panels with what you can only refer to as skin disease… There’s a much younger 206 near my house that has this.
Of course, the 205 needs no introduction, just a reminder that it was the car that turned Peugeot around, to a manufacturer of enjoyable, fun, responsive vehicles with magnificent chassis, virtually on all models that followed it: 106, 309, 405, 306 and even the relevantly big 406 had its way with bends. Some might say this was at a cost of reliability, the cars being more brittle than before. I myself can testify as to electrical infidelities, as I’ve had my fair share of Peugeots in my day. But they were unbelievably enjoyable to drive, with the best hydraulic power-steering around- perhaps the best that ever was, considering everyone (including Peugeot themselves) moved to electric power-steering during the 2000s.
The 205 was very successful in Israel, sold here between 1984 and 1999, at which point it was replaced by the 206. I place this blue “Forever” at nearly the end of line, judging by the aftermarket wheels that were installed in Israel by the importer. I might be wrong, of course, but there was no one to ask, as this French icon was well on its way with no time to lose…
Yeah the clearcoat is shedding from my Xsara 19 years must be the useby date for the paint, the spares car is doing the same. Doesnt matter though the cars are fully galvanised so will never rust.
That 205 driver is just driving like it was intended in small PSA cars they are great fun to drive quickly and will out corner nearly everything else on the road if pushed on a nice twisty section of highway.
Not sure I would do that in a 19 year old car, is what I meant.
The first thing that came to mind watching that video was how similar the highways there look to those in South Florida. I could easily have been convinced that you were traveling through Palm Beach County.
That’s Israel’s coastal region, and yes, I guess it looks a lot like FL.
Looks alot like some parts of USA.No Wonder Down here they call ISRAEL THE 51ST state of USA.Diamond of the middle east indeed.God bless our planet.
That’s the thing about Israel- you’ve got virtually every type of terrain on a small patch of land, from a snowy mountain in the north to a desert in the south, and from the Mediterranean coast in the west to the dead sea (the lowest place on earth) in the east.
And all this on an area about 550 KM by 100 KM.
What’s that music on the soundtrack, and who’s doing it? I really like it!
It’s off the YouTube free MP3 library. Something called “Cross Cut Nightmare”.
Watching these cars zipping around made me wonder about traffic enforcement in Israel; do you need to worry about speed traps/cameras and the like? I had the pleasure of visiting years ago but never tried driving, so I’m curious.
Well, assuming the brakes/steering/suspension are properly maintained, I’d have no qualms driving it like this. In fact, the airy greenhouse and excellent visibility all round make it a lot easier to do lane changes than on something like a panel van-like Opel Astra or a Mazda 3… The GTIs have achieved collector status in Israel long ago – they usually are sold very quickly from what I’ve seen on the various FB pages. But even a lower-powered car like this 1.3 (?) can be fun.
Israel is infested with cameras and police but then there is a thing called Waze…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waze