What's the news?
And there was us thinking the 30th Anniversary edition of the 208 GTi was going to be little more than a body kit and paint job. Silly us as Peugeot has gone all RCZ R on the little hot hatch and turned the 208 GTi from an 'oh so close' into a car that could truly bloody the nose of the segment-leading Ford Fiesta ST.
First up is the engine - it is touted as an all-new Euro 6 compliant unit, which, thanks to the introduction of stop-start, emits just 125g/km. Oh and its more powerful too... 8hp and 24Nm more powerful to be exact (yes, we know Nm is the unit for torque), which means the Anniversary edition has an output of 208hp and 300Nm of torque. Do you see what Peugeot did with the power there?
With the power hike comes some of the toys that have had reviewers raving (including our own Editor) about the RCZ R coupé with the Torsen limited slip differential making its way into the 208. The track has also been widened (by 22mm up front and 16mm out back), suspension geometry altered , springs and dampers recalibrated and the driver aids told to back off a bit allowing you to fully exploit the car. Did we mention it also features Brembo brakes? Four-pot calipers up front with 323mm discs to clamp down on.
All in all everything adds up to a high level of want and should you be worried about the two-tone colour scheme, fear not, as the 208 GTi 30th Anniversary can also be ordered in Pearl White and Ruby Red.
Anything else?
The Peugeot 208 GTi 30th Anniversary Edition will make its public debut at this weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed before moving on to the Paris Motor Show later in the year. No word yet on pricing or availability, but the queue forms behind us...