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Peugeot 905

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Peugeot 905
No. 1 Peugeot 905 on display at the 2014 Geneva International Motor Show
CategoryGroup C
Designer(s)André de Cortanze Enrique Scalabroni
Production1990-1993
SuccessorPeugeot 908 HDi FAP
Technical specifications
EngineSA35-A1 3,499 cc (213.5 cu in) V10 naturally aspirated
Transmission6-speed sequential manual
Competition history
Notable entrantsFrance Peugeot Talbot Sport
Notable drivers
Debut1991 430 km of Suzuka
First win1991 430 km of Suzuka
Last win1993 24 Hours of Le Mans
Last event1993 24 Hours of Le Mans
RacesWinsPodiums
17918
Constructors' Championships1 (1992)
Drivers' Championships1 (1992)

The Peugeot 905 is a sports-prototype racing car built by Peugeot's racing department, Peugeot Talbot Sport. The car was initially unveiled in February 1990 and was developed throughout 1990 before making its race debut at the World Sportscar Championship in the final two races of the 1990 season (Montreal and Mexico City). The Peugeot 905 participated in 17 races in its career, winning 9 of them.

The car won the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in 1992 with the team of Derek Warwick, Yannick Dalmas, and Mark Blundell. This win was followed in 1993 by the team of Geoff Brabham, Christophe Bouchut, and Éric Hélary, in the 905B. In addition to that, the car won both the driver’s and the team’s title at the World Sportscar Championship in the 1992 season.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]

History

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Inception

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In November 1988 Peugeot Talbot Sport, established under the control of Jean Todt at Vélizy-Villacoublay, in the suburbs of Paris,[11] announced the launch of the 905 project to compete in the 1991 World Sportscar Championship using the new rules which the 1991 season would introduce.

Technically advanced, the 905 used a carbon fiber chassis engineered by Dassault and a light alloy SA35-A1 3499 cc naturally aspirated V10 engine that was similar to F1 engines of the time. The 905 was built at Vélizy-Villacoublay [12] and was officially unveiled on the 4th of July 1990 at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, with Jean-Pierre Jabouille driving.

The initial version of the 905 from 1991.

The car made its racing debut in the final two races of the 1990 season with Jabouille and Keke Rosberg sharing the wheel. Although the car was slower than the contemporary Group C Sports Prototypes, it was notably quicker than the other 3.5 litre Sports-Prototypes which raced in that season.

1991 season

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The 905 began its first full season in the World Sportscar Championship in 1991. Although the car was now quicker than the 1990 version, and indeed the heavily penalised Group C cars that were allowed to race, in the early part of the season the 905 suffered some performance and reliability problems but, more crucially for Peugeot, the car was a lot slower than the standard-setting Jaguar XJR-14 - a car that was able to match the lap times of most contemporary F1 cars (but not those of top cars such the Williams-Renault and McLaren-Honda cars that were at least 2 to 3 seconds faster per lap).

The car was, however, able to obtain a lucky win at the Suzuka Circuit. Unfortunately, at the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans, both cars entered did not last past the four-hour mark.

The 905B Evo model, with cockpit doors open.

To counter Jaguar in the remaining races of the championship the 905 was heavily revised, primarily in aerodynamics. Carrying over only the cockpit of the previous car, the evolutionary 905B was created. With the more notable changes consisting of a two-tier rear wing and an optional full-width front wing, including a more powerful SA35-A2 engine, the 905B made its race debut at the Nürburgring round of the 1991 series. These advancements allowed the team to finish the year winning at Magny-Cours and Mexico with back-to-back 1-2 wins, thus completing the season in second place overall.

1992 season

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The 905B became one of only two factory efforts involved in the 1992 World Sportscar Championship season alongside Toyota, who were competing in their first season under the 3.5-litre regulations using the TS010. This meant that only the 1992 24 Hours of Le Mans showed a strong competition among the Group C cars. The 905B was successful, bringing 2 of the team's 3 cars home in 1st and 3rd overall.

1993 season

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905 Evo2 from 1993.

For 1993, the World Sportscar Championship ceased to exist but were permitted to run at Le Mans in 1993 and 1994. However, prior to the announcement of its cancellation, Peugeot had begun the development of the 905 Evolution 2 to compete in the 1993 season. This car, which was tested for a few laps in practice at the final race of the 1992 season at Magny-Cours was never finished, leaving Peugeot to concentrate solely on 1993 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Evo 1B. They were able to make a historic win by sweeping the first three positions. Following this dominance, Peugeot pulled out of sportscar racing.

Peugeot decided to switch to Formula One, using the same 3.5L V10 from the 905 that was easily adjusted to F1 regulations. In 1994, Peugeot debuted as an engine supplier with the McLaren team and remained in F1 until the end of the 2000 season, when, after little success, they decided to concentrate on the World Rally Championship, where their factory team had had some success, winning the title on several occasions. However, Peugeot withdrew its works WRC operation at the end of the 2005 season, and returned to Le Mans for the 2007 24 Hours, with the new 908 HDi FAP prototype entry.

Specifications

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Manufacturer
Peugeot
First race
1990
Category
Group C1
Engine
80° 3,499 cc (214 cu in) V10, 40 valves
Output
650 PS (478 kW; 641 hp) @ 12,500 rpm (905B produced approximately 715 hp (533 kW; 725 PS))
Transmission
6-speed sequential manual, mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Chassis
Carbon fiber Monocoque
Length
4.80 metres (189.0 in)
Width
1.96 metres (77.2 in)
Height
1.04 metres (40.9 in)
Weight
780 kg (1,720 lb)
Tires
Michelin 32x63x17 & 34x70x18

Competition History

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Complete World Sportscar Championship results

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Year Entrant Class Drivers No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Points Pos
1991 France Peugeot Talbot Sport C1 5 Japan
SUZ
Italy
MNZ
United Kingdom
SIL
France
LMS
Germany
NUR
France
MAG
Mexico
MEX
Japan
AUT
Italy Mauro Baldi 1 8 6 Ret Ret 2 2 4 69 3rd
France Philippe Alliot 1 8 6 Ret Ret 2 2 4
Finland Keke Rosberg 6 Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 1 1 Ret 40 10th
France Yannick Dalmas Ret Ret Ret Ret Ret 1 1 Ret
Italy
MNZ
United Kingdom
SIL
France
LMS
United Kingdom
DON
Japan
SUZ
France
MAG
Points Pos
1992 France Peugeot Talbot Sport C1 France Yannick Dalmas 1 2 1 1 2 1 5 98 1st
United Kingdom Derek Warwick 2 1 1 2 1 5
United Kingdom Mark Blundell 1
France Philippe Alliot 2 Ret Ret 3 1 3 1 64 2nd
Italy Mauro Baldi Ret Ret 3 1 3 1
France Jean-Pierre Jabouille 3
Austria Karl Wendlinger 31 Ret NC NC
Belgium Eric van de Poele Ret
France Alain Ferté Ret
France Christophe Bouchut 71 2 15 14th
France Éric Hélary 2

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

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Year Entrant Class No Drivers Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1991 France Peugeot Talbot Sport C1 5 Italy Mauro Baldi
France Philippe Alliot
France Jean-Pierre Jabouille
22 DNF DNF
6 Finland Keke Rosberg
France Yannick Dalmas
France Pierre-Henri Raphanel
68 DNF DNF
1992 France Peugeot Talbot Sport C1 1 United Kingdom Derek Warwick
France Yannick Dalmas
United Kingdom Mark Blundell
352 1st 1st
2 Italy Mauro Baldi
France Philippe Alliot
France Jean-Pierre Jabouille
345 3rd 3rd
31 Austria Karl Wendlinger
Belgium Eric van de Poele
France Alain Ferté
208 DNF DNF
1993 France Peugeot Talbot Sport C1 1 Belgium Thierry Boutsen
France Yannick Dalmas
Italy Teo Fabi
374 2nd 2nd
2 France Philippe Alliot
Italy Mauro Baldi
France Jean-Pierre Jabouille
367 3rd 3rd
3 France Éric Hélary
France Christophe Bouchut
Australia Geoff Brabham
375 1st 1st

References

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  1. ^ "Peugeot 905 Evo 1 Bis group C (1991) - Racing Cars".
  2. ^ "Very Good Car Alert". 8 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Peugeot 905 – the First Lion-badged Car to Win at le Mans". 15 June 2017.
  4. ^ "1992 - 1993 Peugeot 905 Evo 1 Bis Specifications".
  5. ^ "Peugeot's V-10-Powered le Mans Winner is a Masterpiece". June 2019.
  6. ^ "Peugeot 905 Evo 1 Bis specs, lap times, performance data".
  7. ^ "Grounded Gunship - 1992 Peugeot 905 Evo 2 "Supercopter"".
  8. ^ "Sportscars That Never Raced: 10, the Peugeot 905 Evo 2 'Supercopter'".
  9. ^ "1992 - 1993 Peugeot 905 Evo 1 Bis - Images, Specifications and Information".
  10. ^ "1991 Peugeot 905 Evo 1B". 5 July 2012.
  11. ^ "Motor Racing: Warwick on top of world - Sport". The Independent. London. 31 August 1992. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
  12. ^ http://www.imca-slotracing.com/1982-1993%20GROUP%20C%20RACING%20part%20II.htm