Anyone looking for 205’s now and then will probably come across one with a so-called Dimma body kit. If you recognize a 205 T16 (photo 5) in it, then that is correct. The Belgian company Dimma provided, with the approval of Peugeot Sport, a T16-like extension for the 205 GTI and also for less potent versions. Eventually, even more extensive conversions were done, whereby the engine from the 405 Mi16 was transferred to the 205. That saved quite a bit of power: the 2.0 delivered 160 hp. Nice if you already demand all the attention with your wider 205.
Dimma also saw quite a bit of market for such conversions in the United Kingdom and set up a department there. It still exists to this day, under the leadership of the same man: Terry Pankhurst. Although the original crowds at Dimma are gone, it appears that at Pankhurst the 205 still appeals to the imagination. His vision for a modern Dimma conversion took shape in recent months and was shown to the general public last week. See here: the 205 Dimma 2020.
Connoisseurs will immediately see that the 2020 version has a fairly similar body kit to the original, only that it has been applied a bit thicker. The 205 Dimma 2020 is clearly wider than the original. The enormous rear wing again provides the necessary Group B associations (photo 6), although the contrasting colored diffuser at the rear seems to come from a wrong era. It is still a prototype, so who knows, that may be changed.
308 technique
What in any case comes from a completely different era than the 205 itself, is the technology and the interior. That comes from the Peugeot 308 GTI. Yes, this 400 kilos lighter car has the 1.6 THP of the top 308 in the nose. That is also good for more power than normal: just over 300 hp. The power is sent to the front wheels via the well-known six-speed gearbox. Wheels that are temporarily on this prototype, according to Dimma. They do indeed swear a bit with the rest of the car, but the Dimma 2020’s specially designed 19-inch wheels are not ready yet.
Incidentally, the interior transferred from the 308 GTI also somewhat clashes with the rest, although we can imagine that there are people who are pleasantly surprised by the more modern cockpit. In the fourth photo we see the interior during the preparatory work, so it looks a bit tighter now.
Dimma cannot yet say what the performance of this bomb is. After all, the body kit of this prototype is made of even heavier materials than the planned carbon fiber. In the long run, however, with enough interest, the intention is that this entire conversion will be offered. One can then hand in a 205, which can also just be a 1.1, after which Dimma releases this whole story. It will not be cheap, but it will be fun! You can bet that the 308 GTI is driven by this creation.
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