PEUGEOT

Peugeot 205: the car that the brand of the lion of France

When, at the age of 18, Gérard Welter arrived at the Peugeot Design Department in 1960, things had changed very little since the origins of the automobile. The projects were shaped in models made of wood, which were very difficult to retouch and correct. The projects lasted forever. With his newly earned plastering degree under his arm, Welter knew how to take advantage of clay and polyethylene when working quickly on something as dynamic and as subject to change as the style of a future automobile.

This desire to innovate and his exceptional talent for design did not go unnoticed by the then Director of Design at Peugeot, Paul Bouvot, who began to charge him with the style of various elements of the brand's new models, such as the taillights of the Peugeot 404. Then, he took care of elements of greater significance, such as the famous headlights of the Peugeot 504, inspired, in his own words, by the eyes of Italian actress Sofia Loren. A feline gaze that has become synonymous with Peugeot for decades.

In 1975, he took over Peugeot's Exterior Style Department. As responsible for the design of the brand's model line, his projects had to compete with those of Pininfarina which, since the 1960s, has signed several of the most outstanding Leão models. The brand was looking for an alternative that would achieve an important sales success and that would rejuvenate the image of Peugeot, until then specialized in mid-high sedans.

With the arrival of the M24 project in 1977, Gérard Welter(image below) and his team of designers were determined to enter the war. Starting from the angular base of the Peugeot 104, Welter proposed a true stylistic revolution, with a rounded design, without edges and dynamic lines for a compact car with a large glazed surface that gave it a light and friendly air. The Peugeot 205 was born.

The bet on the 205 was a success. It became the best-selling Peugeot in history, with 5,278,300 units manufactured between 1982 and 1998, in addition to conquering a new market for the brand and creating an authentic saga of successes in this segment, with the Peugeot 206, sales record, the Peugeot 207 and the different generations of the Peugeot 208.

The modern and simple design of the Peugeot 205 has remained practically unchanged during its 15 years of successful commercial life. Many of its elements are part of the 'Peugeot style', such as the frame that joins the two taillights, present in the brand's latest releases, such as the 3008 and 5008 SUVs, and the Peugeot 508 sedan.

Welter knew how to express his great love for competition in the Peugeot 205. Designer and head of a team of endurance racing vehicles since 1969, with a speed record at the 24 Hours of Le Mans still in force, the 205's styling lends itself perfectly to sporting interpretations that have made school at the brand. If the Peugeot 205 GTi managed to become a mythical vehicle, with the 208 GTi and 308 GTi as more current versions of this concept, the Peugeot 205 T16 was the great precursor of the French brand's sporting successes away from the comfort of the asphalt, with two victories in the Dakar and two other triumphs in the World Rally Championship.

Between 1998 and 2007 Gérard Welter directed the Peugeot Design Center. A stage in which the brand deepened its sportier aesthetic, as demonstrated by the latest models of the stage, the Peugeot 407 and RCZ, and, above all, concept cars as spectacular as the Féline, 907, Asphalte, Oxia and Proxima. Vehicles that, like their author, have left a registered and unmistakable mark in the history of the lion's mark. Welter passed away on January 31, 2018.

Autonews