Ethan Talbot bought his beloved 1990 Peugeot 205 GTi in 2017, when he was just 19 years old.

His dad had owned a couple of the cars in his younger days - and always raved about them.

The rally version of the 205 - the 205 T16 - won successive World Rally Championships in 1985-86. And the car also starred in an iconic advert in which a GTi was driven down a snowy mountain slope while dodging bombs thrown from a plane.

What more could a small boy ever dream about?

Add to that his dad Gary's two cars, and Ethan was always going to get one of his own one day.

"My dad is a big fan of older cars," Ethan said. "He's had a Capri and three or four Escorts, but it was always the 205 he talked about.

"He had a special edition, which he flipped on a patch of oil and crashed into a field. I've always had an itch to get one of my own, ever since I've known about engines."

Three years after buying it, and after restoring it with friends, his car is a real head-turner, says the 22-year-old, from Heworth, who works in the parts department at Arnold Clark in Poppleton. "It's a mint car! I get people coming up to talk to me about it at petrol stations!"

There have been frustrations as well as fun to being a 205 owner, he admits.

The rear axle had to be rebuilt after it destroyed the car's main shaft. "My friend Adrian Day, who was repairing it, had a spare and soon got everything back on track!" he says.

But along the way he's met his girlfriend Tiffany, made new friends in the Peugeot 205 owners club - and had the satisfaction of seeing a job well done.

We put a few questions to him about his favourite car...

What make, model and year is your car?

1990 Peugeot 205 GTi

What is so special about it to you?

My dad owned two of them and my uncle Keith, who passed away, helped me get it before he died.

I met my girlfriend Tiffany in this car. It also helped my mental health to focus on something besides my thoughts

How long have you had your car?

I still own my Peugeot 205. It has been a most fun and stressful three years of ownership so far!

Tell us a story about your car

I bought the 205 GTi in October 2017 at 19 years old. I saved up for two years to buy it. Over the next three years I spent time restoring it with the help of friends and family. It has gone from being a tired and sorry-looking classic into what it is today. Mint!

  • What was your favourite car? Perhaps it was the first one you ever owned. Maybe it was the dream car you saved up for for years. It might have been the car you proposed in - or the car in which you made an unforgettable road trip. We'd love to here about it. Tell us about your car here