FRENCH PERFECTION?

Beautifully restored and boasting a 193bhp, 16-valve engine, is the Tolman Edition the best Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9 ever?

- JOHN BARKER

WITH ITS RED PAINT ALMOST glowing in the supernaturally clear light, the 205 GTI 1.9 looks so perfect it feels like I've stepped into a Peugeot brochure shoot, circa 1988. Up close, the impression of perfection is maintained, the finish of the Rouge W Vallelunga paint exceptionally smooth and glossy, the trim and detailing spot on. Press your nose against the glass and the interior looks brand new too.

There are a couple of clues that this is not some time warp' car that's been found shrink-wrapped in a hermetically sealed barn with only delivery miles on the clock (though its odometer does show barely 1000 miles). First, the factory paint was never this good, and second, the boot badges read *205 Tolman Edition'.

Regular readers will be familiar with Tolman Engineering and its 205s. We drove a Tolman 205 GTI 1.6 in evo 292 and it was superb. Not cheap at £45k but that's about the going rate for a full nut-and-bolt rebuild with many improved parts and a near-concours finish. In fact, due to increasing energy costs, parts price rises, and a higher specification, that car now costs £65k, plus a donor car.

The Tolman Edition takes things a fair bit further. Instead of the eight-valve 1.6 engine, it has a bespoke 1905cc 16-valve, created in-house using the cylinder head from the later 306 GTi 6. It has taken some clever work to get it to fit but the result is a reputed 193bhp zinger that revs to 7500rpm. Does it feel like almost 200bhp? You bet it does. Can the 205 handle it? Turns out that's the wrong question. The correct question is can you handle it?

There will be just 20 Tolman Edition 205s, each costing £125k. Yep, £125k. You can debate 'value for money' until the cows come home, but I reckon for people who can afford it, what the Tolman Edition needs to do is drive better than any other 205 GTI ever. That's certainly what I'm expecting.