Peugeot 505 Classic Cars for Sale

Built by the French, styling influenced by the Italians, and with international popularity, the 1979 to 1992 Peugeot 505 was a robust family car available as a four-door saloon and a five-door estate. Although there was a touch of class hiding under its plain exterior, its quality interior designed by Paul Bracq, renowned for his designs at Mercedes, the Peugeot 505 had little curb appeal - it was a modest car. What it became well-known for was its handling abilities and, with the 505 GTI and V6 models, its speed.

History of the Peugeot 505

Combining speed, the eight-seater's space, and the sturdy suspension, the Peugeot 505 was the car of choice for many: the work-horse of Africa, an ambulance in Germany, a police car in France, a New York cab, and even served its time in the military.

French car manufacturer Peugeot first launched the 505 in May 1979, it was the last rear-wheeldrive they built. Following in the footsteps of its big brother, the 504, it was inevitable the 505 would build a reputation for its abilities to both navigate rough terrain and cruise along vast highways. Transmission varied from three-speed automatic to five-speed manual, and the diesel or petrol engine output from 1796cc to the mighty 2849cc V6.

The development of the Peugeot 505

The eight-seater Familiale estate was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in 1982. The two rows of back seats could be folded down flat giving a large storage space, and in France many people converted them into pickup trucks. Its large seating capacity is what made the Peugeot 505 such a good taxi, it was also used as a funeral car for the same reason. From Australia to Argentina, China to Chile, following rave reviews, it was no time before the Peugeot 505 was being produced, assembled and sold across the globe.

Peugeot 505 editions

Various 505's existed: GL, STI, STX, Turbo, Turbo S, SW8, S, Liberte, GLX, V6, DL, STI, GTI, GRD, and SRD. A four-wheeldrive, and two-door coupe, truck and cabriolet prototypes were also built.

The 505 GTI saloon was popular in the UK, the eight-seater in Australia. With its 2.2L 130hp engine, available in four-speed automatic or five-speed manual, the 505 GTI had a top speed of 115mph. But the V6 was the fastest 505, and for its day, an impressive car. The 2.8L 170hp V6 engine was designed a V8, which is why it was such a great engine. As with the 505 GTI, the V6 had power steering, air conditioning and central locking.

By 1987 production all but ceased to make way for the new Peugeot range, but the 505 GTI and V6 were built until the end.