Published on: Mar 5, 2017 @ 19:40
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INTRODUCTION

After Group B’s ban in the WRC, and the untimely death of the Group S replacement formula, Peugeot was frantically searching for other venues to continue on their incredible successes with the 205 T16. Before the 1986 rally season was even over, Peugeot started to devise a special version of the car to participate in upcoming rally raid events such as the famous Paris~Dakar.

QUICK BROWSE CONTENT

• HISTORY
• SPECIFICATIONS
• VIDEOS
• REFERENCES

HISTORY

While the 205 Turbo 16 was a very capable rally car, Peugeot’s engineering team would revise its every facets to ensure its success in endurance rally raid events. The chassis was reinforced substantially and elongated by 12 inches (30 cms) between the engine and the passenger compartment to accommodate a 350 litre fuel tank. The much longer wheelbase would also help give the car a more stable footprint.

Further improvements were made to the T16 engine package as Peugeot was no longer restricted by the Group B displacement class rules. The XU8T’s engine displacement was slightly increased to 1905 cc. The revised “XU9T” engine was capable of much power but was tuned down to around 360 HP to accommodate the cheaper African fuels. This also helped in getting more fuel mileage and promote better reliability: all of which are key to success in the desert venues.

The suspension was also raised and beefed up substantially to survive to the extra abuse. In addition to the regular spare tire in the front bay, two more could be fitted: one in the rear engine compartment and another on the roof. The resulting “Grand Raid” specifications made the 205 T16 weigh 1360 kg (3,000 lbs) with a full tank of gas. Adding the crew and extra gear needed to survive the desert could get the weight up to a hefty 1600 kg (3,530 lbs).

In October of 1986, before leaving for Dakar, the Peugeot Talbot Sport team carried out tests on the difficult roads around Château-Lastour, in France, and then a few weeks later in Niger’s part of the Sahara desert. In these tests, the car was submitted to more than 4,000 kms (2,500 miles) of hard abuse. Instantly, the car showed speed, reliability, and overall ruggedness.

The 205 T16 Grand Raid was thus ready for the 1987 running of the Paris~Dakar which started on January 1st outside of Versailles. Peugeot, under the supervision of motorsport team boss Jean Todt, would field three cars and entrust them to an impressive trio of drivers; WRC star driver Ari Vatanen, seconded by Shekhar Metha (the 1981 African Rally Champion), and Andrea Zanussi.

Before even leaving Paris, Ari Vatanen tore a wheel off the car and dropped down to the 274th position. However, the team would never quit and regained every position to clinch the overall victory. Mehta finished in fifth place overall while Zanussi retired with engine failure. For this edition of the Dakar, the Peugeot team claimed no less than 10 stage wins.

1987 Paris-Dakar version

098 – Paris Dakar 1987. Assistance team Peugeot.

This was to be the beginning of Peugeot’s domination in the African deserts as Vatanen would also win the 1987 Pharaoh’s Rally.

Later in 1987, not resting on their success, Peugeot began developing a new prototype for the Paris-Dakar: the 405 Turbo 16 Grand Raid. The new car took the innovative solutions of the 205 T16 Grand Raid while optimizing them in a less constrained package.

However, the 205 T16 is not discarded, as for the 1988 running of the race, Jean Todt decided to align two 405s and two 205s. That year saw the change from the iconic yellow “Camel” livery to the white and blue “Pioneer” look. Peugeot would have certainly preferred a 405 to win for commercial reasons since the production model had recently been out in the dealerships, however this was not to be since the car of Ari Vatanen was stolen overnight in Bamako. The other 405 T16, driven by Henri Pescarolo, finished with a disappointing 18th place despite clinching three stage victories. The overall victory would still be for Peugeot thanks to the valiant efforts of Juha Kankkunen with the 205 T16, the other car finishing sixth.

For the 1989 and 1990 editions of the Paris-Dakar, Peugeot renewed the duo of the 405/205 T16 entries but this time the priority is strictly given to the 405 cars. Both years are won by the 405 T16 team of Ari Vatanen and Bruno Berglund. Nonetheless, in 1989, the 205 T16s performed well with a fourth place for Guy Frequelin and an eighth place for Philippe Wambergue. In 1990, the 205 T16s claimed third place with Alain Ambrosino and twelfth with Philippe Wambergue.

Juha Kankkunen – Paris~Dakar 1988

104 – Paris Dakar 1988. Kankkunen/Piironen. Peugeot 205 Turbo 16. Vainqueur

After the 1990 running of the race, Peugeot Talbot Sport decided to officially retire the 205/405 T16s from competition to concentrate on the development of the 905 prototype racer in the World Sportscar Championship. However, this would not be the last victory for the proven Peugeot T16’s engineering: sister PSA company Citroën would use it as the base for its ZX Grand Raid vehicle which would subsequently win the Paris-Dakar event 4 times from 1991 through 1996, officially retiring in 1997.

This means that the 205 Turbo 16 was a design that came to be competitive for over a decade: an achievement that is seldom seen in motorsport and a testament to Group B’s influence.

205 T16 GRAND RAID – SPECIFICATIONS

VIDEOS

REFERENCES

 Affiliates Program – (free delivery worldwide!)

 Rally Giants – Peugeot 205 T16

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Paris Dakar Rally 1987 DVD

Paris Dakar Rally 1987 Download

Paris Dakar Rally 1988 DVD

Paris Dakar Rally 1988 Download

Paris Dakar Rally 1989 DVD

Paris Dakar Rally 1989 Download

Paris Dakar Rally 1984-89 (6 DVD) Boxset

(C) Articles by Jay Auger – website owner & author

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