Visa GTI, how rare now?

[C64ME]

Just got one, E reg. How rare> Must be very few left?

[GiveMeABreak]

According to DOT Data, there were 744 licensed cars in 1994.

There are just 5 licensed in the first quarter of 2017, with 14 declared SORN in the same period.

[Richard_C]

There was a thread on this in early August with a member reminiscing about his first one. You go for years without contemplating Visas then you get to think about them twice in the same month. Remember Citroen UK's little joke with the special edition Visa vans named and liveried as Van Rouge and Van Blanc back in the day when Citroen UK in Slough had a mind, identity and genius of its own.

[demag]

I liked all versions of the Visa.

[CitroJim]

The Visa GTi was basically a Pug 205GTi 1.6 - it shared the same 1588cc running gear but the suspension was a little different at the rear and was less susceptible to the 205's Achilles Heel of Lift-Off Understeer (LOO).

A good Visa GTi is, in my opinion, more desirable than a 205 GTi... I love them

[momag46]

My first diesel was a Visa 17D Leader in a metalic silvery blue. Great little car that fitted size-wise between an Fiesta and Escort. It pulled away from lights like a GT but ran out of steam quite soon. 50+ mpg, great fun to drive but no engine brake so needed to be on your toes.

Always fancied the GTI but moved on to a BX...CX.....

Maurice

[CitroJim]

I had a 205 STDT once, the TD diesel.. It went like poo off a shovel and would beat a 1.6GTi in many ways...

It was almost scary and very exhilarating to drive The STDT was in many ways a diesel-engined GTi... Huge fun!

The ordinary 205D went really well so I can just guess at how well a Visa D went!

[C64ME]

I have bought a Peugeot Mi16 engine for the Visa GTI as the original is pretty much finished after 137,000 very hard miles. It leaks oil from 2 places and has appalling compression on 2 cylinders and there's a horrible rattle from the bottom end.
Google searches reveal that the Mi16 engine will make 180 bhp (up 20 bhp on standard) with very light conventional tuning so that's the plan for this motor, which has done 42,000 miles only. Should be lively!

[CitroJim]

I have bought a Peugeot Mi16 engine for the Visa GTI

Gosh That'll make it a real little rocketship!

[elma]

Knowing what an Mi16 does to a 205 all I can say is you are going to have fun and you are going to be terrified.

[Hell Razor5543]

If you could add Activa suspension you would have a very fast and incredibly agile ball of terror (and hilarity)!

[C64ME]

I suppose fast and scary comes in all shapes and sizes. I had a 300 bhp motorcycle for 2 years and rode a 706 bhp motorcycle in May! But yeah, the little Visa should be good, with just 900 kgs and 180 bhp. Thst's the PTW ratio of a VW Golf R.

[jaizan]

The Visa GTi was basically a Pug 205GTi 1.6 - it shared the same 1588cc running gear but the suspension was a little different at the rear and was less susceptible to the 205's Achilles Heel of Lift-Off Understeer (LOO).

Think you mean Lift Off Oversteer for the 205.
As for the Visa, I followed a MK1 Golf GTi with a Visa & found the high speed handling of the Visa to be very unstable & unpredictable. The Golf could be easily drifted at an speed, without even concentrating properly.

[CitroJim]

Think you mean Lift Off Oversteer for the 205.

Yes, I do. Sorry... Typo

[Richard_C]

Considering the Visa was designed at launch to take the Dyane flat twin, expanded to 652cc if I recall and tuned with electronic ignition to a a massive 35bhp output, and a Super with a 50hp 4 pot, its pretty amazing that they managed to make the GT and GTI handle at all.

Oh how I envied that Visa Super in the dealers window as I motored past in the Dyane on icy cold Stockport mornings - anyone who has driven air cooled Citroen or VW will know that warming up the driver just doesn't happen for a good few miles. When I had my VW Type 2 the warm air rarely reached the front, you had to scrape ice off the inside of the windscreen during some trips.

I recall my much later 17RD diesel handled OK, the engine-y end was much heavier than the luggage-y end and I don't remember visiting the rear tyres or brakes to do any work once in my 55k miles of ownership. You could throw it into a corner with abandon, lots of roll and speed scrubbed off as long as you didn't actually do anything stupid like brake, lift off, accelerate or steer much mid bend. It just stuck to an approximation of the line you set it on. It also had primeval cruise control (no motorway cameras back then). On late night trips home up a deserted M6 you could comfortably wedge yourself in the seat so that your right leg was locked out straight and the pedal flat to floor. It would gradually wind itself up to 90 ish and stay there forever.

I rather liked it, but you can't keep everything and it went when we both got company cars. Any chance of inside and outside pictures when its all done?

I wonder, just done some sums and the later Visa GTI had 3.28 x the power output of the lowest powered Visa. I wonder how many production bodyshells have had to cope with that range of power outputs?