Scare Yourself Silly With This Supercharged 370bhp Peugeot 309 ‘Maxi’

Peugeot may not have any immediate plans for more performance cars, but thankfully, its back catalogue has had all sorts of hot highlights over the years. Take the 309 GTi. Produced between 1987 and 1993, it was the sportiest version of Peugeot’s small family car of the era. It’s always somewhat lived in the shadow of the smaller, more famous 205 GTi, even though there are plenty that say the 309 is the sweeter, more sorted car.

This one, though, is doing its very best to escape from that shadow. Having begun as a 1989 309 GTi, it’s been steadily transformed into what its seller terms a 309 ‘Maxi’ in a nod to Peugeot’s bonkers, high-revving front-wheel drive rally cars of the ’90s.

Peugeot 309 GTi ‘Maxi’ – side

Its current owner, an engineer with Prodrive, first owned the car as a young man before parting ways. Later, his friends tracked it down and clubbed together to buy it back for him as a wedding present, and since then, it’s undergone quite a transformation.

The list of upgrades is vast and comprehensive, but the highlights include a motorsport-spec engine from a 306 that features a radiator, intercooler and pulleys all made from aluminium and a custom inlet manifold. To top it all off, a great big Rotrex supercharger has been strapped to the engine for a grand total of 370bhp.

Peugeot 309 GTi ‘Maxi’ – engine bay

That’s still being sent to the front wheels, although an Xtrac diff and strengthened driveshafts should tidy things up a bit, as should the tarmac rally-spec tyres.

While it still vaguely resembles a standard 309, the wide-arched bodywork is in fact largely custom and made from composite materials, including a carbon roof. A full roll cage is welded in, and the whole car weighs just 910kg. In case you’re not keeping track, that means a power-to-weight ratio of 407bhp per tonne – 50 more than the latest Porsche 911 GT3 RS.

Peugeot 309 GTi ‘Maxi’ – interior

Other motorsport-derived bits include Group A rally suspension, a competition fuel cell, a full set of bias-adjustable AP Racing brakes, a race engine management system with launch control, and a plumbed-in fire extinguisher. Just in case. All in, it’s reckoned around £100k has been spent on upgrading the car.

Despite all this, the car is fully road-legal. Hilariously, its most recent MOT features just one advisory: ‘Vehicle is a race/rally car’.

Peugeot 309 GTi ‘Maxi’ – rear

If you’ve been looking for an unhinged track monster disguised as a small 1980s Peugeot, then you’re in luck: the 309 is going up for sale at Iconic Auctioneers’ Supercar Fest sale on 18 May. It’s expected to fetch between £40,000 and £50,000 – a lot for a 309, but not much at all for something that’ll probably dust any modern supercars that show up to your next track day.