VIN: Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 1 chassis C11
History of chassis C11
Chassis C11 was one of 20 T16 Evolution 1s built, nearly all of which were reserved for use by the factory Peugeot Talbot Sport team and its various satellite squads.
The Evolution 1 made its debut on the Tour de Corse in May 1984 and won three of the five WRC events contested during the rest of that season. It was also used for a large portion of the 1985 campaign.
C11 was one of three works cars that appeared at the 1985 season opener: the Monte Carl Rally. All three cars were in tarmac trim and weighed around 960kg.
C11 was allocated to Ari Vatanen and Terry Harryman who led from the start. However, their four-minute lead was reversed by an eight-minute penalty for arriving at parc ferme too early. With 394km of stage time remaining, Audi’s Walter Rohrl held a massive 4 minute 41 second advantage but this was sensationally overturned before the German lost time with electrical problems.
Vatanen / Harryman eventually won by over five minutes. The sister cars were third and fifth.
Vatanen / Harryman were back in C11 for the next round in Sweden three weeks later. The two cars entered ran increased ride height and new inner wings designed to reduce the accumulation of snow in the wheelarches. Michelin also had a new TRX tyre compound which had been developed specially for the fast snowy conditions.
Vatanen dominated proceedings. He won over half the timed stages and eventually finished nearly two minutes ahead of Stig Blomqvist’s Audi. Team-mate Salonen took third to give Peugeot a healthy lead in both the Driver and Manufacturer standings.
C11 was also entered for round three of the WRC in Portugal where it was once again allocated to Vatanen / Harryman. As was the case in Sweden, the pair of T16s on hand were in gravel trim. A thicker front skid plate was the only upgrade of note.
During the event, Vatanen’s rear wheel became detached 7km into stage four and, although he tried to persevere on three wheels, the engine soon stopped when a flywheel sensor ordered the electronics to shut down. It brought an end to the Finn’s run of five successive WRC victories.
C11 was subsequently retired from competition duty.
Notable History
Peugeot Talbot Sport
Registered 716 EXC 75
26/01/1985 WRC Monte Carlo Rallye (A. Vatanen / T. Harryman) 1st oa, 1st Gr.B class (#2)
15/02/1985 WRC Swedish Rally (A. Vatanen / T. Harryman) 1st oa, 1st Gr.B class (#2)
06/03/1985 WRC Rallye Portugal (A. Vatanen / T. Harryman) DNF (#2)
