Peugeot 905
The Peugeot 905 is a sports car prototype, the Peugeot developed to participate in the World Sportscar Championship, which he won in 1992. Moreover, the French car brand wins in 1992 and 1993 in the 24- hour race at Le Mans.
- 3.1 1990
- 3.2 1991
- 3.3 1992
- 3.4 1993
Introduction
After Peugeot Talbot Sport in previous years had been very successful under the leadership of Jean Todt on the World Rally Championship, the team looked after the cancellation of Group B vehicle category for a new field of activity. On November 23, 1988 Jean Boillot told, chairman of the car brand Peugeot, Jean Todt and the press to attend the World Sportscar Championship. 15 months later, a model was the 905 presented in original size.
Model variants
Peugeot 905
Peugeot has developed a carbon fiber chassis, which received a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated engine, which came very close to the former Formula 1 engines, equipped for the 905 mentioned prototype in cooperation with the air carriers Dassault. The Peugeot SA35 -A1 -called engine had 10 cylinders, which were arranged at an angle of 80 ° and generated at a power output of 480 kW 12.500/min (660 hp). Under the baton of André de Gérard Welter gave Cortanze the 905 a very distinctive front end, which strongly resembled that of the former series vehicles. A special feature of the vehicle were laid into the cockpit rear view mirror.
Peugeot 905 to Evo1
After it had been found that the Peugeot 905 was too slow and unreliable, Peugeot revised the aerodynamics of the complete, so that only the cockpit still remembered the original 905 905. In addition, with the Peugeot SA35 -A2 came a new stage of development of the engine used. In 1992, the development team has been strengthened by Enrique Scalabroni which mainly deals with the improvement of the mechanical brains of the vehicle and should relieve project de Cortanze. For the 1993 season, the stage was to Evo1 supplemented with some improvements. So got the vehicle, among other things, the newly developed gearbox of the Evo2.
Peugeot 905 Evo2
Even before the Evo 1 gave up his debut began the Peugeot engineers with the development of the successor, Evo2 called, which was first sent to the end of 1992 on the track. Especially through the rugged front end he stood out from his predecessor, also ensured a narrower cockpit for less drag and weight. Due to its futuristic exterior, the vehicle received the nickname Supercopter. In addition to many changes in detail another important innovation was the semi-automatic 6 -speed transmission, the drivers simplified switching.
Racing applications
1990
On June 20, the prototype was first tested on the Autodrome de Linas- Montlhery. A week later graduated from Jean -Pierre Jabouille the distance of 500 km on the test track of the tire supplier Michelin. He takeover also the first public appearance of the Peugeot 905, on 4 July 1990 on the race track of Magny -Cours.
After a few more tests on French soil, two cars were flown to the eighth round of the World Sportscar Championship in 1990 to Montreal. When racing debut on 23 September, the bisheriege test driver Jabouille and the former Formula 1 champion Keke Rosberg took turns behind the wheel of the Peugeot 905. However, the car fell out after one third of the race distance. At the last race of the season in Mexico, driving a finished her first race, despite problems with the starter, on the 13th Place.
1991
After a surprise victory in the season opener at Suzuka the next race of failures and rear seats were characterized. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans but the trio Jabouille, Philippe Alliot and Mauro Baldi put his Peugeot 905 to the pole, Rosberg, Yannick Dalmas and Pierre -Henri Raphanel completed the first row in the second 905 After a furious start both cars overtook technical defects and so no Peugeot was already after four hours longer in the race.
After these sobering results Peugeot brought the fifth round of the World Sportscar Championship at the Nürburgring a completely redesigned vehicle at the start, the Peugeot Evo1 up. From now on, Peugeot was the team that was to beat. Two double victory at Magny -Cours and the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in the occupied this impressively. At the end of the first season of 1991, Philippe Alliot and Mauro Baldi runner-up the driver championship, while Peugeot Talbot Sport was only surpassed in team standings of the Jaguar factory team.
1992
After the departure of Jaguar and Mercedes -Benz in the World Sportscar Championship season was threatened in 1992 to be a farce, but was carried out at the insistence of Peugeots anyway. Except Peugeot were only Toyota and Mazda factory active, but presented no serious competition dar. Peugeot won superior five of the six championship runs and secured both the drivers ' and the constructors' championship of the World Sportscar Championship.
The highlight of the season was the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the team with three cars went to the start. While the trio Wendlinger / van de Poele / Ferté was eliminated by an engine failure, Warwick / Dalmas / Blundell won the race in front of a Toyota and the third Peugeot with the occupation Baldi / Alliot / Jabouille.
When training for the last race of the season at Magny -Cours Peugeot sat first time the 905 Evo2 but close at hand in the race on the proven Evo1 to back. By the end of the World Sportscar Championship the Evo2 remained without a race.
1993
Following the cancellation of the World Sportscar Championship for 1993 Peugeot was only at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Also in 1993, Jean Todt spoke out against using the Evo2, therefore, the French attacked again on the 905 Evo1 to back. Without serious competition they finished the race vastly superior in seats 1, 2 and 3