VIN: the works Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 1 chassis C10
History of chassis C10
Chassis C10 was one of the most extensively rallied 205 T16s during 1985.
On all four of its outings that year, the car was allocated to Timo Salonen and his navigator, Seppo Harjanne.
C10 first appeared at the opening round of the 1985 season: the Monte Carlo Rally.
Peugeot arrived with a trio of T16s, all of which were in tarmac trim and weighed around 960kg.
Vatanen / Harryman won by over five minutes while Salonen / Harjanne took third in C10 and Saby / Fauchille were fifth.
C10 was one of two T16s subsequently entered for round two: the Swedish Rally. Both cars ran increased ride height with new inner wings designed to reduce the accumulation of snow in the wheelarches. Michelin also had a new TRX tyre compound specially for the fast snowy conditions.
Despite trips into the snow banks for both cars, Peugeot dominated proceedings. Vatanen won over half the timed stages and eventually finished nearly two minutes ahead of the rest of the field. Salonen took third in C10 behind Stig Blomqvist’s Audi to give Peugeot a healthy lead in both the Driver and Manufacturer standings.
C10 was next wheeled out for the Tour de Corse two-and-a-half months later by which time it been re-registered 25 FGV 75 (from 323 EXA 75).
Three cars were entered including a brand new Evolution 2 for Bruno Saby. Vatanen and Salonen stuck with their proven Evolution 1s. All three cars ran new 15-inch wheels (instead of the metric TRX sizes) plus the improved Evo 2 brakes.
Neither Evo 1 had a trouble-free event. Day one saw Salonen retire in C10 after an electrical failure took longer than the allotted time to fix. Vatanen crashed out and wrecked his car on day two.
Saby took second in the T16 Evolution 2 behind Jean Ragnotti who led from start to finish in his Renault 5 Maxi Turbo.
For the Acropolis Rally at the end of May, Peugeot entered a pair of Evo 1s for Vatanen and Salonen.
Vatanen’s rotten luck since Sweden continued as he retired on the second stage; broken suspension had smashed the oil reservoir. By contrast, Salonen led from start to finish in chassis C10; a first in the event’s history.
Afterwards, C10 was retired from works duty having taken two third place finishes and a famous victory.
Notable History
Peugeot Talbot Sport
Registered 323 EXA 75
26/01/1985 WRC Monte Carlo Rallye (T. Salonen / S. Harjanne) 3rd oa, 3rd Gr.B class (#6)
15/02/1985 WRC Swedish Rally (T. Salonen / S. Harjanne) 3rd oa, 3rd Gr.B class (#6)
Registered 25 FGV 75
02/05/1985 WRC Tour de Corse (T. Salonen / S. Harjanne) DNF (#6)
27/05/1985 WRC Acropolis Rally (T. Salonen / S. Harjanne) 1st oa, 1st Gr.B class (#5)
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Peugeot - http://www.peugeot.com
