Javillac
Occasionally a Peugeot 205 is still seen on the streets, demonstrating the reliability of these cars, but, oddly enough, these cars began to circulate forty years ago. 
Its launch was key to the brand's history, and without a doubt it is one of its most important models. At an uncertain time for the PSA group, the “sacred number” de Peugeot, the slogan with which the 205 was advertised in France had a legacy of more than 5.200.000 units and many versions.
There was a 205 for all tastes and needs, from the most basic utilities, offered in diesel and gasoline mechanics, to more playful and sporty models like the rafters or the revered GTI.
THE CELEBRATION OF THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY
In an event organized by the brand itself, inside a hangar full of historic aircraft at Madrid's Cuatro Vientos aerodrome were some of the most illustrious members that made up the family of 205, from the popular five-door SR finishes, through the GTI with 1.6 and 1.9 engines, and authentic rarities such as a van version called "Multi" and offered only in France, or the 205 T16, symbol and icon of the frenetic and glorious He was from group B of the rallies. 
At this press-oriented event, the history of the car was reviewed through a presentation with slides loaded with information and curiosities in which special emphasis was placed on the history of the 205 in Spain, and the historical importance of the Villaverde factory in Madrid.
Nor was it overlooked the list of winners in competition of the model, with a record worthy of the most prestigious elite athletes, and that is the 205 seemed like a car that excelled at everything it set out to do, either in its million-dollar sales, or in its passage through tests such as Pikes Peak or the Dakar Rally.
A NEW GENERATION: E-208
After reviewing the impact of the 205 and the cars that followed it, such as the successful 206 and 207, and after projecting an exciting video in which the sportiest versions of the 205 blew out their forty candles, the new Peugeot E-208 appeared next to its ancestor.
Then the hangar doors opened to admit the first unit of the model recently arrived in Spain, creating a remarkable contrast between the era of the heyday of combustion engines and their musical sonority, and the silence of the electric age.
Although it is true, that already in the time of 205 the possibility of manufacturing one of these battery-powered vehicles was experimented with. Joao Mendes, president of Peugeot in Spain and Portugal, told the 205 as a utility that offered buyers a wide range of engines, in addition to being one of the first compact to be offered with diesel mechanics, a very economical option that turned out to be a real success. Will the new E-208 be able to replicate this success for electric vehicles? Time will tell. 
JOIN THE CELEBRATION
Peugeot wants to invite fans to this party and next Saturday the 15th They have organized a series of activities that you can attend with a classic car and among which you can test the new model in Cuatro Vientos. To participate you can do through this link.
A well-deserved tribute to a car that marked a before and after for the brand, and whose influence is still being felt forty years later. Just left congratulate the Peugeot 205 for its forty years, and ask that we can continue celebrating it "with you until the end of the world".
Photographs: Peugeot, Rodrigo Acosta, Javier Ramiro
