Peugeot 106 GTI

There are hot hatches… and then there are the cars that defined an era.

This is one of them. A genuinely exceptional Peugeot 106 GTI finished in the most desirable and iconic colour — Blaze Yellow — and presented in a condition that is becoming almost impossible to find today.

This is an original Irish car showing just 90k miles, and unlike most surviving 106 GTIs, this one hasn’t spent its life being modified or abused. It remains wonderfully standard, exactly how Peugeot intended. Over the past year, in excess of €8,000 has been spent bringing this car to the level you see here.

The aim wasn’t to simply make it presentable — it was to make it right again.

Mechanically the car has had a substantial overhaul including:

* Top end engine refresh

* New head gasket

* Cylinder head skimmed

* Valves done

* Timing belt kit

* Water pump

* New clutch

* Suspension overhaul

* Brake overhaul

* Fresh tyres

The result is a car that drives far beyond expectations. Tight, eager and unbelievably alive.

The engine pulls incredibly hard and feels sharper and more energetic than many bigger-engined hot hatches of the era. The steering is beautifully direct, the chassis feels delicate and adjustable in the way modern cars simply cannot replicate, and remarkably the car feels solid — not rattly, loose or tired like so many surviving examples.

Honestly, it feels more lively than a 1.9 205 GTI and handles better too. The bodywork is excellent, the wheels are beautifully presented and the underside is equally impressive. Importantly, the car has been professionally wax-oiled correctly — not covered in thick black Schutz to disguise problems. You can immediately tell this is a genuine, honest example.

The Peugeot 106 GTI has now firmly entered collector territory and values are rising quickly worldwide. Very few genuinely good cars remain, especially unmodified examples in Blaze Yellow.

Back in period, Evo magazine described the 106 GTI as one of the purest front-wheel-drive driver’s cars ever built — praised for its lightness, balance, steering feel and playful chassis. Even today, many enthusiasts still consider it the benchmark for analogue hot hatch handling. After driving this car, it’s easy to understand why.

A real survivor. A properly sorted example, that’s increasingly a very difficult car to replace.