.I am in my mid-thirties now, and so naturally I reminisce about cars of the 80’s and 90’s…Cars I used to look at and think WOW…..Although I still love cars, the naivety I had back in those days simply cant be matched.

I didn’t pass my driving test until 1995 – June to be exact, and so until then I had no real concept of owning and driving my very own car. Maybe its me looking back on things with rose-tinted spectacles, but weren’t cars then (the 80’s and maybe early 90’s) so much more fun? I don’t know why I am asking this as I couldn’t drive back then as we have established.

But I am wondering if we have all become too politically correct, and has the Health and Safety culture turned fun into something a little clinical? Don’t get me wrong, Health and Safety, car safety, driver training (of course!) etc has helped saved lives – which is great.

But I cant help thinking have we lost something along the way in our quest for goodness and the eternal preservation for life – which brings me on to how cars were advertised and how they are now. 205 GTI Lets looks at a car advert of the 80’s – Left is an ad from circa 1987 for the Peugeot 205 GTI, one of the best hot hatches ever built (in my opinion the best ever built!).

The advertising tells you exactly what the car is about – FUN! Yet in doing so it explicitly denotes danger, and rebelling against convention. Would this advert be acceptable nowadays?

I very much doubt it would get past the tight rules and regulations regarding advertising, although personally I think it is a rather cool piece of advertising – as would the rest of the 205 GTI target market. 208 gti advert

Lets compare it to the advert for the Peugeot 208 GTI (left) some 26 years on. After the 206 GTI and 207 GTI failed to live up to the expectations of the 205 GTI they had to come up with something special.

Have they? I guess only time will tell. However, notice how different the advert is. No ever so slightly insulting words mocking the more conservative motorist. No imminent risk of death by crashing off the side of a cliff. However, what is interesting is the wording – GTI is back. Clearly making a direct link back to the 205 GTI.

Maybe this is Peugeots way of winning back the former GTI glory which they enjoyed with the 205, but done so in a way that lets people know what the car is all about, whilst taking into account the modern day rules and regulations surrounding what is acceptable.

Created by Rob Morgan