As a manufacturer, Peugeot has had an interesting history. Although they have long been known for producing fairly sedate and bullet-proof small to mid-sized cars, every now and then they will unveil a car that is something quite special that will have a major impact on the market. There are many people who will claim that the 205 GTi was the definitive hot hatch, thanks to its sprightly performance and superb handling. Similarly, while the garden variety 405 was a competent, if a largely uninspiring vehicle, the Mi16 was a car that surprised many due to its impressive levels of performance, comfort, and handling. Barn Finder Roger spotted this 1990 Mi16 for us, so thank you so much for that Roger. It is located in Great Falls, Virginia, and is listed for sale here on Craigslist. The owner is asking $8,600 for this surprising little French classic.

For the uninitiated, the Mi16 looks like just another average mid-sized 4-door sedan. The styling clues such as the deeper front spoiler, the rear spoiler, the side skirts, and the alloy wheels are all fairly subtle, but they mark this 405 as something a bit more potent than average. This one appears to be in really nice condition. The owner says that it has covered 105,000 miles, and it looks like it has been well cared for during those miles. The Vallelunga Red paint has a nice shine to it, while the panel gaps appear to be nice and consistent. The additional pieces of the body kit have also held up well, and the overall presentation of the car is quite impressive.

The Mi16’s party piece was hiding discretely under the hood. The standard 1.9-liter 405 was capable of producing 109hp, and this gave the car pretty reasonable performance. The Mi16 was also endowed with a 1.9-liter engine, but this all-alloy beauty enjoyed far better breathing through the addition of a cylinder head that featured DOHC and 16-valves. The performance improvements were staggering, and it saw the horsepower suddenly jump to 160. It sent this to the road through the front wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission. This shaved 2 seconds off the ¼ mile time and increased the 405’s top speed by more than 20mph. The entire 405 range enjoyed great handling, thanks to a very stiff body, and suspension with very long travel. With upgrades to springs and shocks, the Mi16 cornered and handled impressively well, and inspired plenty of confidence. The owner says that this particular car has been imported from Europe, which means that the engine does produce marginally more power than the US version. He also says that it has been well maintained, and the overall appearance of the engine bay seems to attest to this.

The interior of the Peugeot has held up quite well, although there are some signs of discoloring to a few of the plastic trim items. The leather-bound wheel is also starting to show its age, and while it is certainly serviceable, it would take more than a conditioner to return it to its best. The seat trim is another area that has held up surprisingly well, The side bolsters can be prone to wear, but these ones seem to be quite good. The comfort of those seats is one of the interior highlights in an Mi16, while power windows, power mirrors, and air conditioning also help.

The Peugeot 405 is a great car, mainly due to its fantastic ride comfort and great handling. The Mi16 possesses these same attributes, but with the added benefit of surprising performance if the driver is willing to give it a bit of a poke with a stick. They are an enormously enjoyable car to drive in a spirited fashion but are equally as comfortable being driven sedately. Their sporting nature has meant that many have been driven into the ground over the 29-years since this one rolled off the production line, which makes it difficult to now find a well-preserved example. That’s what this one appears to be, and I’m pretty sure that somewhere out there someone is going to be very keen to get their hands on this one.