The Peugeot 205 estate that never was

Before compact SUVs came to dominate urban streets, Peugeot traditionally offered estate versions of its smaller models. The line began with the 204 Break in 1966 and continued until 2012 with the 207 SW; since then, the 2008 SUV has filled that role.

The Peugeot 205 estate that never was

There is, however, an obvious gap in that story: the Peugeot 205 never had an estate version - although a small van, the 205 F, did exist. It was not because there were no proposals.

The most convincing appeared at the 1984 Turin Motor Show. It was created by Pininfarina, the firm behind the 205 convertible, only a few months after the Peugeot 205 went on sale.

Pininfarina's Peugeot 205 Verve

Called the 205 Verve, it stood out through its “floating” roof and distinctive rear section. With production costs already in mind, Pininfarina retained the doors from the five-door 205. The Italian proposal was sensible and elegant, and would have made a natural successor to the 204 Break.

Why was it never built? The explanation lay within Peugeot itself. The company was preparing to launch the 309 - originally intended to be the Talbot Arizona - which was larger and aimed more clearly at families, despite using the 205 platform.

An estate-bodied 205 would have created internal competition for the 309, so the project was abandoned. Peugeot did not revive its small-estate lineage until the 206 SW arrived in 2002.