A family gathering is being staged to celebrate one the world’s most famous performance hatchback’s going electric.

GIVEN that the original 205-based edition maintains persistent ranking as one of the world’s landmark hot hatchbacks, it seems appropriate that the new era of Peugeot 208 GTi should reveal alongside its famous forebear at a classic car show in France.

The Retromobile event in Paris starting Thursday NZT has given the now Stellantis-run brand a chance to kick off what it calls its 'GTi Year.’

Which is? Well, this year, 2026, is, as it's the year that the GTi badge returns to the Peugeot lineup with the arrival of the electric Peugeot e-208 GTi. All - and surely no concidence, this - 208kW, trick front diff, and sticky tyres of it.

Peugeot wants a competitor for the likes of the Alpine A290, and the revival of the classic GTi badge gives the French brand just that.

So that new all-electric GTi will be on the stand, but there are bigger plans than just showing off the latest model, because Peugeot is on a mission to remind car buyers it is still a genuinely sporting brand, famed for its drivers' cars.

Retromobile has been seen to provide an ideal opportunity to delve back into the GTi archive, so it has taken a massive stand at the venue, which will, of course, feature the car that started it all - the original 1984 Peugeot 205 GTi, a car that became a genuine legend among driving enthusiasts.

But not just one example. The exhibition kicks off with the original 1984 78kW version, before moving on to the one-two punch from 1986, when Peugeot upgraded that 1.6-litre model to 86k and also introduced the amazing 1.9-litre 97kW 205 GTi.

It has also managed to secure an example of the awesome Dimma 205 GTi, with a wild, wide-body kit from Belgian tuning house Dimma Design.