Peugeot's 205 T16 tribute has three electric motors, 816 hp and a 2.5-second 0 to 62 mph time, making it the most powerful Peugeot ever. It's a concept, but the CEO says it can be built, possibly for €200K+ in a run of fewer than 1,000 cars.
Peugeot revealed the E-T16 concept on the eve of the 2026 Paris Motor Show to mark 40 years since the 205 T16 won back-to-back World Rally Championships in 1985 and 1986. Developed with Peugeot Sport, it uses three electric motors, one in front and two at the rear, for a combined 816 hp, which Peugeot says makes it the most powerful road Peugeot in history (Peugeot).
It is officially a concept. But in Paris, Peugeot's CEO Alain Favey told CAR magazine that "we would love to make this car and we can make this car," that a Peugeot costing more than €200K "is not scary," and that a production run would probably stay under 1,000 cars (CAR). For the rest of the show's performance debuts, see our Paris Motor Show 2026 roundup.
Peugeot quotes 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.5 seconds and 0 to 300 km/h (186 mph) in 16 seconds, and a weight of less than 2 kg per horsepower. It runs on an 800-volt system with an 85 kWh battery, and Peugeot claims up to 400 km (about 249 miles) of WLTP range and a 10 to 80 percent charge in under 15 minutes (Peugeot).
Peugeot Sport worked on keeping that power available. The battery is cooled through the sides of the cells rather than the base, a racing idea, and Peugeot says the car can run three laps of the Nürburgring Nordschleife, more than 60 km, in Performance mode without cutting power (Peugeot; AutoNext). Torque vectoring splits power between the axles and between the two rear wheels. The hardware includes four 380 mm brake discs, 275 front and 315 rear Michelin tires and a vertical hydraulic handbrake like a rally car (Peugeot).
One note on figures: CAR and Autocar quote 805 bhp, which is the same output as Peugeot's 816 hp expressed in British brake horsepower (CAR; Autocar). Electrifying quotes 18 seconds to 186 mph, which doesn't match Peugeot's 16 seconds, so we use Peugeot's figure (Electrifying).
The design nods to the 1980s rally car in several ways. The paint, Winchester Matte Grey, is close to the original's grey, a backlit red line runs all the way around the car like the 205 T16's red pinstripe, and the air intake ahead of the rear wheel, which once fed the gas engine, now hides the charging port. Like the original, the whole rear body tilts up, here showing two electric motors, the suspension and a red roll cage (Peugeot; Motor1).
Inside, there are carbon-shell bucket seats with four-point harnesses, a 21-inch curved display and Peugeot's rectangular Hypersquare steering control with steer-by-wire. On this car the Hypersquare has a small screen in the middle for speed and lap times (Peugeot; CAR).
Peugeot calls the E-T16 the "ultimate vision" of the next E-208 (Peugeot). Stellantis design director Gilles Vidal told CAR that some parts on the show car come from the production car, including the three-strake light signature that will appear on next year's E-208 (CAR). That does not mean regular E-208s get this power. The everyday car takes the E-T16's look, lights and dashboard, not its three motors.
Peugeot hasn't confirmed anything, but the signals are strong. Favey told Electrifying that a limited run "would make a lot of sense," while stressing that "nothing is confirmed." Asked about building 1,986 cars, a nod to the second title year, he said it probably wouldn't be that many (Electrifying). Design director Matthias Hossann told Autocar that "if enough people are interested, we are looking to make it," and that Peugeot Sport Engineering, the team behind the 9X8 Le Mans car, is building a fully drivable prototype aimed at road approval (Autocar; AutoNext).
I was talking with our importer in Greece who says he wants 50 of them! So bringing a Peugeot, even one that costs more than €200,000 – it's not scary.
— Alain Favey, Peugeot CEO, to CAR
Favey told CAR that reaction at the show will decide the next step (CAR). Hossann compared it with Renault's 5 Turbo 3E, which he called "the same logic but... not the same power" (Autocar).
Confirmed: the specs, the design and Peugeot's description of it as a concept and a preview of the next E-208. Not confirmed: a production run, a price or a date. The €200K+ figure and the under-1,000 count are the CEO's on-record thinking, not an announcement.
What it means for buyers: there is nothing to order yet. If Peugeot builds it in small numbers at €200K+, it would sit above the Renault 5 Turbo 3E as a collectible French electric hatch. Limited electric performance cars like this haven't been tested much on the resale market, so early buyers would be betting on rarity and the 205 T16 name rather than on proven values. Original 205 T16 road cars remain the established collectible.
Paris is a heritage show this year: an 816 hp Peugeot hatch, a 500 hp electric RCZ revival, a carbon NSX rebuild from €880,000, a retro Alpine and a hybrid V6 Alfa. Porsche's Mission S is still to come on October 15.
Italian race car builder JAS Motorsport is showing the finished Tensei in Paris: a first-generation Honda NSX rebuilt with a carbon body by Pininfarina, a Judd-tuned V6 and a six-speed manual. Only 35 will be made, from €880K plus your own donor car.
A four-seat fastback with a hybrid twin-turbo V6, shown at the Paris Motor Show as a design manifesto. It won't be built as shown, but its look arrives on a new Alfa SUV in early 2028.
