1986 Archive Day

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【Summary】In 1986, the Venturi coupé was introduced at the Paris motor show as a rival to the Alpine GTA. It used the 200bhp inline four engine from Peugeot's 505 Turbo saloon. Although the ride and handling needed improvement, it was considered a decent car to drive. The Venturi went through ownership changes but ceased sales in 2000. Meanwhile, the Peugeot 205 GTi received minor updates, increasing its power and introducing the 205 CTi soft-top, which had a well-sealed and easy-to-operate hood.

FutureCar Staff Sep 06, 2023 6:21 AM PT

France was once home to multiple sports car makers, but by the 1980s, only Renault-Alpine remained. Engineer Claude Poiraud and designer Gérard Godfroy of coachbuilder Heuliez noticed an opportunity for a French alternative to Porsche. Their prototype impressed financier Hervé Boulan, who founded MVS to bring it into production. The team included chassis experts from the Le Mans-winning race outfit Rondeau.

At the 1986 Paris motor show, the Venturi coupé was unveiled as a direct competitor to Alpine's two-year-old GTA. The Venturi used the 200bhp inline four engine from Peugeot's 505 Turbo saloon. Our French correspondent and MVS both preferred the GTA's equally powerful Peugeot-Renault-Volvo 2.5-litre V6, prompting MVS to switch to this engine before production began.

Although the ride and handling were not yet perfected, we found the Venturi to be "basically all right; certainly no worse than the GTA" to drive. The manual gearbox had some issues, likely due to its origin from the Citroën CX. We stated that the design had potential but needed further development, and we believed the company deserved success. Despite receiving continuous improvements throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the Venturi never achieved significant sales. After several changes in ownership, sales ceased in 2000.

In 1984, the Peugeot 205 GTi became an instant classic, praised for its combination of sporting hatchback capabilities, practicality, and comfortable long-distance cruising. Two years later, we found that the revised model maintained its tractability and responsiveness. The 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine received revisions to the cylinder head and ignition timing, resulting in a power increase from 105bhp to 115bhp. The redline was raised by 400rpm to 6900rpm, although torque decreased slightly.

Performance remained similar up to 70mph, but the improved breathing of the revised model allowed it to reach 100mph 2.9 seconds faster. The introduction of the 205 CTi soft-top, built by Pininfarina, was particularly intriguing. It featured a new 'skeleton' that minimized rigidity loss and a hood that was easy to operate and well-sealed when up. Wind buffeting was minimal when the roof was stowed away.