Group A Peugeot 309 GTi

Posted on February 22, 2024 by classiccarweekly

1987 Peugeot 309 GTi 16V Group A

Offered by Iconic Auctioneers | Stoneleigh Park, U.K. | February 2024

The 309 was a boxy, boring small three- or five-door hatchback sold by Peugeot between 1985 and 1994. The French have a long history of making the most of boring cars, and Peugeot did that here, selling a GTi version, which was a hot-ish hatch.

The road car shared its powertrain with the 205 GTi, one of France’s best hot hatches. It had a 1.9-liter inline-four making 158 horsepower. Not bad. This car was built in 1988 as a Group A rally car for the British Rally Championship. Peugeot then ran the car themselves for 1989 and 1990.

Come 1991, the Peugeot team boss wanted to showcase a young driver, future WRC champion Richard Burns, and entered him in the WRC RAC Rally, where he and his co-driver finished 16th as the top two-wheel-drive car.

The car remained in storage with Peugeot until 1998, at which point it was sold to a privateer. Burns found out about the car and acquired it for his own collection. Now it’s being sold from said collection with an estimate of $88,000-$100,000. More info can be found here.

Ford Probe

Posted on May 13, 2022 by classiccarweekly

1997 Ford Probe 2.0 16V

Offered by Manor Park Classics | Manor Park, U.K. | May 14, 2022

You just don’t see second-generation Probes in this condition anymore. At least not in the U.S., where most have rusted away or just died. Recall that the Probe was supposed to be the next Mustang, but people flipped out over the front-wheel-drive Mazda-sourced layout, so Ford just launched it as its own thing for 1989.

But the revamped 1993 model is where it really hit its stride. This is pure 90s, from the jellybean shape to the tri-spoke wheels. They were cool cars, but generally unloved by “serious car people.” That didn’t stop them from being nearly everywhere circa 1998. This one has the bigger 2.0-liter V6 rated at 164 horsepower new.

Trim-wise, it isn’t that impressive, as Americans could get a GT package with graphics and a wing. But this right-hand-drive version is probably up there in rarity. The number of Probes still registered in the U.K.? Just 121. It has an estimate of $4,500-$5,500, which seems like a bargain just for the nostalgia factor. Click here for more info.

Update: Sold $8,163.

Delta Integrale 16V

Posted on May 19, 2015 by classiccarweekly

1990 Lancia Delta Integrale 16v

Offered by Silverstone Auctions | Silverstone, U.K. | May 23, 2015

Photo – Silverstone Auctions

The first generation Lancia Delta went on sale in 1979 and continued in production through 1994. That’s a long time. But it wasn’t the same stale car for 15 years – as it grew closer to the end, the cars got more and more extreme.

The Delta was also Lancia’s rally car for the late-1980s. The Delta Integrale 8v won the 1988 World Rally Championship. A variant of that car was sold to the 4WD-buying public as the Delta HF 4WD beginning in 1986. At the end of 1987, it was replaced by the Delta Integrale 8v. In 1989, the Delta Integrale 16v went on sale.

The engine is a 2.0-liter turbocharged straight-four making 200 horsepower. This was the ultimate hot hatch for 1990. Top speed was 137 mph and with its 47/53 front-rear torque split, the 4WD car could hit 60 mph in 5.5 seconds. That’s quicker than a Ferrari Mondial, which was on sale at the same time and had twice the cylinder count. More extreme versions were yet to come. This is a recently-serviced, 71,000-mile car that can be yours for between $20,000-$25,000. Click here for more info and here for the rest of Silverstone’s lineup.

Update: Sold $27,540.