GTI, ah what a magical trio of letters. You could put anything in front and it would sound faster. Let’s try that, in fact: Fiat Panda GTI. Morris Ital GTI. Citroën Diane GTI. OK, it doesn’t always work, I guess. But with most ‘80s-‘90s hatchbacks, it certainly did. Even with the relatively colourless Peugeot 309, the three letters spelled excitement. Yet this particular one is missing its G, was not granted much T and has precious little I left.
From the looks of it, we’re in the presence of a completely normal late model 309 GTI in very decent nick and completely stock, down to the 15-inch alloys. But appearances, though they do matter, are not the main issue in the present case.
It’s been a minute since we’ve had a look at one of these, so perhaps a little context might be useful. The 309 was essentially the last model devised by PSA’s ailing Talbot branch. Its goal was to replace the Horizon on the European market. In doing so, the 309 would use a modified Peugeot 205 platform (and some body pressings) powered by an array of nine engines (1100-1900cc) of both Peugeot and Simca origin. At its launch in late 1985, the car appeared with Peugeot badging only – and as a four-door.
The two-door variant came in 1987 and immediately included the GTI. The 130hp 1.9 litre engine, double wishbone IRS and alloy wheels were directly lifted from the 205 GTI, so the two cars were remarkably similar in many ways. The heavier 309 did have a slight penalty in terms of absolute top speed, but it made up for that by being more sure-footed than the 205.
In late 1989, the 309 got a facelift; the most noticeable external revision were the taillights. New engines were also part of the revamp, including a 16-valve 160hp version of the 1.9 that turned the GTI into a very competent performer. But the regular GTI continued in parallel.
The 309 started winding down in 1992 in anticipation of the launch of the 306, with most variants (GTI included) leaving the range in most markets by the end of MY 1993. It’s difficult to be categorical about what versions were sold where, as this is one of those cars that was built in several local variants at once: this was the first Peugeot to be assembled in the UK, at the former Rootes works in Ryton. The Spanish version, made at the ex-Chrysler Barreiros factory, was also slightly different from the French and UK one.
Which brings up to this Japanese market car. In 1985, Peugeot shifted a grand total of 59 new cars in Japan via the Seibu network, whereas Citroëns were selling pretty well by comparison. In 1989, PSA decided to cut a deal with Mazda to further widen Citroën distribution, as well as setting up the Peugeot Japon network in a bid to sell more lion-branded cars in what was then the wealthiest and most dynamic market in Asia.
Peugeot thus sold a selection of their wares in this special market. This included, by MY 1990, the rather successful 205 (in several guises, including Cabriolet and GTI), the 405 and two variants of the 309: the SI five-door saloon and the three-door GTI.
The real high-performance 309 GTI, the 16-valve version, was not available, but Peugeot were nothing if not accommodating: Japanese enthusiasts famously liked to have their imports in LHD to underscore the car’s provenance, but this was not universal. With Peugeot, you could order yours in RHD at no extra cost. Another curiosity, at least in the GTI world: the Japanese customer could tick the “automatic transmission” box in the options list, as the person who ordered this car did.
A four-speed slushbox and a 120hp (because of the catalytic converter, hp went down quite a bit in the ‘90s GTIs) engine? What a pairing. I cannot be sure, but I bet it has A/C, as well. Most cars do around here, and the Japanese are past masters at fitting aftermarket units in all manner of smaller cars. Consequently, this must be the heaviest and slowest 309 GTI in the world. Talk about defanging or declawing the lion – this is outright neutering.
Peugeot made just over 18,000 units of the 309 GTI from 1987 to 1993, but as far as I know, the sole market that included an automatic transmission option was Japan. The auto box was available on other models in Europe, of course, but few people ordered them. The very idea of an automatic GTI would have been seen as quasi-sacrilegious, so much so that French-language sources I have read do not reference this pairing. Some even claim the GTI was only available with the 5-speed manual, which was the case in Europe.
But when there’s a will and a small clientele, there’s a way, so a few Peugeot GTIs, both the 309 and 205, were specially-made for Japan with a 4-speed auto. Only in Japan would such a Frankencar exist.
Related posts:
Curbside Classic: 1991 Peugeot 309 SI – The Unloved Step-Child, by T87
Car Show Outtake: 1992 Peugeot 309 GTI 16 – Roaring In The Shadow Of Its Little Hot Hatch Brother, by Johannes Dutch
Dash-Cam Outtake: 1992 Peugeot 309 – Almost Collectable, by Yohai71
If you’d like to learn more about the interesting history of the Peugeot 309 in general, here’s a recommendation:
There’s something curiously very compelling about the front end with four fog lights as compared to the 205 (and virtually every other car), it’s perhaps better even than the widebody 205T16 front visage. In the graphite color with the red stripe that’s almost enough by itself to get me to sign up. Although I just can’t like the rear 1/5th of the car, unlike on the early to mid 1980s Euro Ford Escort the little tail stub just doesn’t work for me here (is it the placement of the wheel arches?), certainly not as compared to the 205 which is just superb all around, especially in GTI form.
The 309 was always seen as a somewhat dull choice in the UK – like a Volvo 360, the kind of car that the older generation might often be seen driving. But I think the design has held up pretty well – there’s a 309 GTI that I see very occasionally in my local area, and while it’s perhaps not the equivalent of seeing a classic Alfa in the wild, it’s still nice to see.
On the topic of automatic on “performance” cars – a few years ago, if you heard someone with loud exhaust and auto box driving around, they would very much be an object of ridicule. But things change, and an auto performance car is pretty standard issue. As much as anything a reflection that auto gearboxes are so much better than they ever used to be.