Weekly Motor Fix: the daily driven 1992 Peugeot 405 Mi16

16 March, 2016

If I said “’80s hot hatch”, I’d suggest invariably that the Peugeot 205 GTI would pop into your head.  If I then said “fast ’80s sedan”, I very much doubt that the Peugeot 405 Mi16 would register in the first hour. But it should, if only for the name. While the boxy lines of the 405 now more closely resemble that of a Russian tank, the Mi16 was actually a very good car. 

With a 7200rpm redline, 1.9-litre motor (apparently costing upwards of £3000 per unit at the time of manufacture), the Mi16 puts out 165hp and sprints along to 100kph in just over eight seconds. While these numbers are not going to impress modern-day high-performance sedan owners, the 405 still drives well. Once you get some momentum up, it even feels a bit like a proper sports car. The Mi16’s party piece was its stiffened chassis and independent suspension making for excellent handling.

This particular example in ‘Bordello Red’ (it’s not actually called Bordello Red) belongs to the writer of this very article you’re reading. 

I have had some previous experience with quick, relatively unknown Peugeots, as one of my first cars was a 309 GTI — the 205 GTI’s less-popular brother. Unfortunately, the 309 decided it had an itchy back whilst on a spirited drive through the Waitakere Ranges late at night. Luckily, the only injury sustained was a minor one to my neck when I forgot that the car was upside down and took off my seatbelt without bracing against the roof. It took me around 15 years to take a bold step back into Peugeot ownership following that event. 

I bought the 405 with the intention of turning her into a 2K Cup car (by turning up at the event with a tank of petrol on board). In the meantime I just enjoy looking at what is essentially a competitor to the E30 M3 sitting in my driveway for less than $2000.

Lunch with… Jim Palmer

In the 1960s, Hamilton’s Jim Palmer won the prestigious ‘Gold Star’ four times and was the first resident New Zealander home in the New Zealand Grand Prix on five consecutive occasions. He shared the podium with Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Denny Hulme, Jackie Stewart, and Chris Amon. The extent of his domination of the open-wheeler scene in New Zealand will probably never be matched or exceeded. Yet he’s always been modest about his achievements.

NZ Classic Car magazine, May/June 2025 issue 399, on sale now

Who would have thought it would become such a worldwide motorsport star when Ford introduced the humble Escort in 1967?
Its popularity, particularly in Mark 1 form, is now of iconic status. Our cover story for this issue is on a 1968 Ford Escort Mark 1, Alan Mann Racing Tribute. We talked with the owner of this very special Escort, finished in tribute also to the owner’s father.
“Most children love speed, and motorsport typically comes courtesy of a parent, and Elliott is no different. His engineer father, Mark, had a love for motorcycles and going fast; however, when children came along, he swapped two wheels for four, in the form of two Ford Escorts.
Little did Mark know it at the time, but the humble Escort was about to weave its way into the family fabric once and for all.
After emigrating from London to New Zealand, Elliott recalled one evening when he was 14 being invited to tag along by his father, helping a friend convert an Escort road car into a racing car. This was the pivotal moment when Elliott remembers the motorsport bug taking over. He knew he had to have his own one.”