CAR: 1986 Peugeot 205XT rally car SOLD: £2813 ORIGINAL ESTIMATE: NR, Silverstone, Race Retro, 21 Feb
All the factors added up to this being a potential bargain.
How many reasons do you want? It was offered without reserve, so there was a possibility it could have been bought mega-cheap. It was a pretty basic 205 rather than a Rallye or GTi, so it would be cheaper to insure, it had been prepared for club rallying and, equally importantly, it was in pretty good condition.
The vendor made a good call putting it into a competition car sale at Race Retro.
It could have sold well at any classic auction, but being entered in a dedicated competition car sale at a historic motorsport event increased its chances of selling, particularly because Race Retro is just as much about club sport as mega-bucks high- end racing.
Condition helped this car’s case.
Generally it was very good. It showed a touch under 80,000 miles and had an MoT until October. The bodyshell was in pretty good order with no signs of corrosion and good panel fit. The panel shuts were fine too, which was a reasonable sign it hadn’t had an ‘off’. The later Peugeot alloy wheels with bolt-on wheelarches added a purposeful air. There had been quite a lot of expense inside – a full roll-cage ad been fitted, as well as bucket seats, harnesses and fire extinguisher. On that theme, a sump guard had been fitted, as had an ignition isolator and a stainless steel exhaust system. For someone building a car like this, all those items add up and can be a deterrent. The original dash and door cards hadn’t been cut about, meaning it could be used on a daily basis.
It’s cheaper than going for a road-spec car.
Values of three-door 205s are on the up and adding in the value of the rally- related equipment meant the buyer of this one came out well. Sourcing a car and then equipping it would be dearer and would take time – here was affordable turn-key classic rallying at its best.
