(first posted 9/7/2018) This nondescript compact hatchback was supposed to be a Talbot. It was developed as the successor to the 1978-1987 Simca/Chrysler/Talbot Horizon. But the artificial reincarnation of the old Talbot brand name, after Peugeot took over Ma Mopar’s Euro-car division in the late seventies, was an utter failure and led to nothing. Instead of Talbot Arizona, it was renamed Peugeot 309. An unusual number in the automaker’s model naming structure.
Never mind the unusual number, the 309 did well, commercially. From 1985 to 1994, Peugeot built more than 1.6 million of them. Halfway through its production run, in 1989, the model got an update. The Phase 2 is easily recognizable by the smaller taillights. The 309 was produced in France, Spain and the UK. Some of its direct competitors were the Volkswagen Golf, Ford Escort, Opel Kadett/Astra and the Renault 11/19.
Let’s get to the heart of the matter. It may look nondescript, but do not underestimate a 309 wearing this red badge on its hatch. Compared to this, a contemporary Volkswagen Golf GTI was a choirboy racer.
160 filthy DIN-hp (as in: no catalytic converter, like this one) from a naturally aspirated, 1.9 liter DOHC 16v engine. The same power unit was also used in the bigger Peugeot 405 Mi16 and Citroën BX GTi 16v. Well of course it has a manual transmission, a 5-speed.
We’re looking at an old school hot hatch, as it’s all up to the driver to steer clear from trees and the like. Put the pedal to the metal and you’re all on your own, calling for electronic nannies doesn’t help.
Now 160 hp may not sound as overkill, but keep in mind that the car’s curb weight is only 975 kg (2,150 lbs). Its top speed is rated at 220 km/h and the only-at-the-dragstrip 0-100 km/h was done in 7.8 seconds.
What a treat it was to see a 26 years old hot hatch in such an excellent, unmolested, factory condition.
I read online that the 309 was originally intended to be called the Talbot Arizona. However, Peugeot decided that the Talbot marque would be disposed of as soon as possible.
The 205 GTI was a legend, but the 309 GTI was reputed to be a superior piece of work – apart perhaps from the styling. The longer wheelbase gave it better stability than a 205.
I only drove a 309 as a diesel, which wasn’t a lot of fun. Not as well built as a VW, but lightness does have obvious benefits in a hot hatch.The 306 variants kept the magic going, after which Peugeot sort of lost the plot.
an absolutely fantastic find, thanks so much for sharing this!
The 309 was always a used car bargain, as everyone wanted a 205.
The mundane versions were often driven by oldsters around my way, thanks to the boring styling, so they weren’t as likely to be thrashed to death as a 205.
One of many cars I regret not picking up for the price of a decent pair of shoes in pre scrappage scheme Britain.
Only just noticed the DS Safari and CX in the background! But let’s keep our priorities straight.
Wait. There’s PSA stuff all over the shop!
It was an event featuring French cars, especially the top models, held at a former fort/barracks. And you know what that means: the whole place was littered with priorities…
PSA stuff all over the shop, yep looks like my driveway, two Citroens and a Hillman, PSA owned Rootes after Chrysler mismanaged it into the ground.
Yeah the UK market 309s were built at Ryton, just like most Minxes.
This car is an alternate-universe Dodge Shadow/Plymouth Sundance.
* Horizon successor
* Stretched 205/cut-down K car
* Bubbleback hatch/bubbleback hatch replaced by hidden hatch at last moment before production at Lido’s insistence.
I came here to say the same thing…
Not only is there a hint of the Shadow/Sundance in the design, it significantly resembles the Renault Encore as well.
I’ve got a great 309 in the files waiting for the time to prepare a full CC – this is a classic CC car.
But this is a great example, and Johannes covers the key points so succinctly….
If you didn’t spend all day tapping the door cards and dash top, this was more than a match for a Golf GTi
I had one of these as a rental in Germany in 1988, you could tell your speed by how big the gap was between the A pillar and the front of the door frame. Over 160 you could put your finger in the gap, never seen so much flex before. Apart from that it was an okay rental, and it was RED.
KJ in Oz
Not sure why 309 is an unusual model number. Peugeot had 304 (the first modern car 🙂 ?) etc, and 308 was taken by some guys in Maranello, Italy. Seriously, this looks like a beautiful example of the kind of European hot hatch we couldn’t get here in the US, other than the Golf GTI, and lusted after in quick skims of Car or Motorsport at the book store. Imagine my surprise when I visited the UK in the early 2000’s, and saw that most of the older examples of the Peugeot 20x and 30x GTI’s were driven by yout’s with backward baseball caps blasting heavy metal or rap music. Here in the US, only college professors (and PaulN) drove Peugeots.
Those youts moved on to the Citroen Saxo VTR/VTS once all those Peugeots had been wrapped around trees. Ali G made do with a Renault 5 GT Turbo.
I guess the thing with 309 is why wasn’t it 306, which replaced it.
309 is a “stand alone” number. The 309 was replaced by the 306, then we got the 307, 308 and…the 308 again (2nd gen, since 2013). The 1977-1989 Peugeot 305 was a 4-door sedan (or 5-door wagon), it was bigger than the 309.
08 is for all current mainstream Peugeots models:
108 A-segment, 208 B-segment, 308 C-segment, 508 D-segment. In some markets there’s a 408, which is a long-wheelbase sedan based on the 308. It’s not being offered in Europe.
Yes, when they reached 308 I was wondering ‘will they, won’t they?’ go to 309 for the next new one. Seems their needle is stuck now.
Great photos Johannes. French designers seemed to love reduced sized rear wheel arches, relative to the larger front wheel openings.
Nice rig, gorgeous wheels. I think I’d still prefer a 205 but this would be a close second. What a wonderful find after all these years though!
So was the 309 a 205 with a trunkish rear end, or was it a completely different car?
309 used the stretched 205 floorplan and door shells as stipulated by Peugeot to use as much existing architecture as possible. The engines were carried over from Talbot Horizon.
That is a beauty. You can see the Talbot DNA in it from the side profile view….Jim.
It’s always bemused me how certain auto makers can produce such popular, comfortable and competent cars in Europe….and then do SO badly in America.
This specific 309 GTI 16 would gain weight and lose power when transferred to the US. In which case the whole concept of a go-kart with a full steel body goes out of the window.
Apart from that, it’s a compact (C-segment) hatchback. Still highly popular in Europe, no market whatsoever for this class of vehicles in the US. Certainly not now.
Yes, SUVs and CUVs are rapidly getting more popular in Europe too. But mainly in the B- and C-segment. Again, no market whatsoever in the US.
Would have been interesting seeing how this car would have fared in the North American market, know the UK really missed out on a car considered to be superior to the 205 GTi and possibly would have prevented the 309 GTi from being viewed as a car whose only value is to be harvested of its engines and other components to be used as spares for the 205 GTi.
On the other hand had this car remained a Talbot Arizona or Chrysler Arizona for both the European and North American markets, would either have carried over the Chrysler Type 180 or Chrysler 2.2 engines in both non-turbo and turbocharged forms?
Was the Chrysler 2.2 unit capable of being reduced to around 1.8-2.0 in order to better suit the Arizona / 309 in the same way the Chrysler Type 180 displaced around 1.6-2.2?
Have read elsewhere of Matra developing OHC versions of the Simca Poissy engine, which could have allow the 92 hp 1.6 version to breakthrough the 100+hp barrier yet unfortunately it never reached production.
Time for Peugeot to go to a new naming convention, maybe the electric ones should get actual names.
I own a 1.3 liter 1986 309 four-door and while it looks as dull as any lame American Ford Escort of the era, it is a revelation to drive. Excellent power from its spinny Simca four, and a chassis that is as surefooted as they came. Definitely not doing what my former 205GTI did for me but a surprisingly pleasant, competent and comfortable car w real driver appeal.
Didn’t you also own a 405 Mi16 at one time? I, a lowly 405 DL owner, seem to remember reading an article you wrote about it in Automobile magazine.
Not a bad car but it wasn’t very successful. Being a contemporary of the 205 didn’t help him much.
Its replacement, the 306, was more attractive and managed to sell better.
I am glad to have been old enough to remember a time when we had dozens of incredible fuel efficient sporty hatchs, coupes and sedans. Listen my children, before soccer moms traded in their minivans for Eddie Bauer Explorers, and the SUV Boom shredded auto manufacturing, there were dozens of fantastic fuel efficient sporty cars that were begging to be raced daily to work, school and to brick and mortar stores, where people actually saw one another, spoke, behaved, and attempted to fit into society without wearing masks, hiding behind social media sites, and finding sex on Tindr.
Sorry, but in those days cars were not fuel efficient, especially those with gasoline engines. Normally a small 1.3 or 1.4 liter gasoline engine consumes more than a current 3.0. The diesels had better performance but also consumed more than the current ones.
I agree that those cars were better, well designed, compared to most of the current ones.
And yes, I join the club of SUV haters.
For a long time, all of these little European eco-boxes suffered from gear ratios that were too short. Hence relatively high revvvvvs and fuel consumption.
The short gear ratios were due to engines that actually were too small and had low torque. The (too) small engines ultimately reduced the savings idea to absurdity. At least to a certain extent.
But that 1.9 liter engine in the Pug was adaquate, I think.
Didn’t have them on my radar when new. But men, I can tell you, I like that little thing – though I’ve never been interested in so called “hot hatches”. The blue metallic paint of the feature car looks very nice. Even dark green metallic would work quite good, I think.
Ah – I forgot: For all those, who want to know some more about the 309. The Peugeot 309 story.
I miss fun small cars.
I had a client who had a couple of 309 GTis – he rated them superior to the 205. That modest wheelbase stretch really settled the rear end.
Until quite late on, the car had quite rounded rear wings and closer-resembled an Audi 90 Coupe. The final square wings and 505 tail lights made it look slightly more awkward. And like an R11/Encore, true…
It’s largely retention of the 205’s track width & floorpan with the bodysides moved out ~50mm that makes it look slightly overbodied.
Then again, I find the 306 a timeless masterpiece. After that, they went in-house with the ‘styling’ and then look what happened…
I got a 10 year old 309 XR (with the 1.4 engine) for free around 2001. The previous owner had been an elderly man, so first thing I had to do was replace the worn out clutch plate. That was the only repair I ever did to it. I drove the car for 3 years without a single problem and I certainly didn’t spare it. The 309 proved to be almost indestructible. A very reliable, well built car. Managed to get 500 for it when I traded it in for a 1988 Citroën CX GTI.
” … I traded it in for a 1988 Citroën CX GTI.”
Which was much more trouble prone, I suppose.
I had just left school and was on the YTS (remember that?) and my placement was the local Peugeot-Talbot dealer when the 309 came out. We all got a T-shirt with ‘The New 309’ on.
I seem to recall there was an issue with that frameless tailgate glass shattering for no apparent reason? I do remember having to make drain holes in the rubber with a official Peugeot special tool* to stop water leaks into the load area.
*A piece of brake pipe, cut at angle and sharpened.