Peugeot 305

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The Peugeot 305 was a compact automobile produced by the French manufacturer Peugeot from 1978 to 1988.

The 305 went on sale across Europe in 1978, as the successor to the Peugeot 304, and was available as a four-door sedan, four-door station wagon and panel-van (based off the wagon). Its key competitors were the Ford Escort, Volkswagen Golf and the Chrysler/Simca Horizon, but it was actually considerably larger than most other cars in its class. In fact, it was almost as large as the Ford Cortina, Opel Ascona and Chrysler Alpine, which were generally considered to be in the class above. Power came from 1.3 L and 1.5 L gasoline engines and later a 1.9 L diesel engine from the Talbot Horizon - obtained in 1979 when Peugeot took over Chrysler's European division.

Sales of the 305 were strong in France and most other countries where the car was sold, though in Great Britain its sales were not as strong as Peugeot might have hoped. The problem was eased in January 1986 when Peugeot launched the 309, a replacement for the Talbot Horizon which took some of the pressure off the larger 305.

Production ceased in 1988. The successor was the sedan and the Break of Peugeot 306 who was starting 1993.

Facts

• For a car approaching Cortina size, the wheels on the earlier models were actually only 3 stud, similar to the Citroen 2CV!

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