VIN: the works Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 2 chassis C212
/ Ben Tyer
HISTORY OF CHASSIS C212
In terms of distance covered during competitive events, chassis C212 was probably the most extensively rallied 205 T16 Evolution 2 campaigned by the Peugeot Talbot Sport operation.
C212 made its debut at round four of the 1986 World Championship: the 4190km Safari Rally which took place between March 29th and April 2nd.
Two special Evolution 2s were built up for the event, one for 1985 winners Juha Kankunnen / Juha Piironen (C211) and the other for five-time winner Shekhar Mehta and his co-driver, Rob Combes (C212).
Engines were de-tuned to 400bhp at a maximum boost of 2.5 bar and all the normal Safari extras were installed. In addition, the second spare wheel was moved from roof to the front compartment. The auxiliary fuel tank that normally resided there was replaced by two long-range 60-litre cells underneath the seats. The event also marked the debut for Peugeot’s remotely operated shock absorber cooling system.
After his pre-event test car caught ablaze and was completely burnt out, Mehta’s debut with the 205 was marred by blown turbos and a damaged back end after Erwin Weber’s Audi wrecked the Peugeot’s oil cooler and exhaust. The Kenyan nevertheless managed to finish eighth albeit more than three hours behind the winning Toyota Celica.
C212 next appeared at round six: the 575km all-gravel Acropolis Rally (June 2nd to 4th). Now with its Safari trim removed and in the hands of Bruno Saby / Jean-Francois Fauchille, the French pairing put in a steady first gravel drive in the T16 to finish third while team-mates Kankunnen / Piironen took victory.
Saby and Fauchille were then back in C212 for round eight, Rally Argentina, a 569km all-gravel event held between August 6th and 9th. No major updates were introduced and C212 retired on stage eight after the engine ominously began to consume water before the block cracked. Improved tyres for the Lancia squad saw them emerge victorious.
For its penultimate WRC outing, C212 was allocated to Ford refugees Stig Blomqvist and Bruno Berglund for the high speed 1000 Lakes Rally held over 597km of gravel and tarmac stages between September 5th and 7th.
After Saby’s cracked block last time out in Argentina, the trio of Evolution 2s in attendance came with new engine block castings. There was also a revised front axle housing (now aluminium alloy) and the cars weighed in at between 1020kg to 1040kg. Engines were typically running 455bhp at 2.6 bar but another 30bhp was available at 2.8 bar if required.
Blomqvist ultimately came home fourth overall despite having lost control over one of the many jumps and damaged C212’s back end. Fellow Peugeot runners Timo Salonen / Seppo Harjanne and Juha Kankunnen / Juha Piironen finished first and second.
Chassis C212 made its final WRC outing with Andrea Zanussi and Paolo Amati on Rallye Sanremo, a mixed gravel / tarmac contest with 488km of special stages between October 13th and 17th. Four Evolution 2s were entered, all of which were in 1000 Lakes trim with up to 3 bar boost and 450bhp.
However, the Peugeots were scandalously excluded after 32 of the 41 stages when the partisan Italian scrutineers deemed intakes on their undersills to be generating ground effect which had been specifically outlawed since the Tour de Corse.
The decision was ultimately overturned in court and the Sanremo result struck from the record book.
Notable History
Peugeot Talbot Sport
Registered 290 FPF 75
29/03/1986 WRC Safari Rally (S. Mehta / R. Combes) 8th oa, 6th B12 class (#6)
02/06/1986 WRC Acropolis Rally (B. Saby / J.F. Fauchille) 3rd oa, 3rd B12 class (#9)
06/08/1986 WRC Rally of Argentina (B. Saby / J.F. Fauchille) DNF (#4)
Registered 244 FWH 75
05/09/1986 WRC 1000 Lakes Rally (S. Blomqvist / B. Berglund) 4th oa, 4th B12 class (#5)
Registered MI 07097Y
13/10/1986 WRC Rallye Sanremo (A. Zanussi / P. Amati) EXC (#6)
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Peugeot - http://www.peugeot.com
As he had helped Peugeot develop the 205 T16 Evolution 2, French rally legend Bernard Darniche was able to acquire an Evolution 1 for the 1985 Tour de Corse. At the time, Evolution variants were…
After Volkswagen pioneered the hot hatch genre with its iconic Mk1 Golf GTi, Peugeot went on to perfect the formula eight years later. Launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1984, the 205 GTi…
While Audi temporarily gained an edge in top flight rallying thanks to the Quattro’s state-of-art four-wheel drive system, Lancia became the first manufacturer to exploit the sport’s new Group B…
When the 205 arrived in 1983, it quickly turned Peugeot’s fortunes around. Although the firm was not in a perilous financial state, it had acquired a somewhat stuffy image thanks to a back catalogue of…
The works Peugeot Talbot Sport squad took a pair of new T16 Evolution 2s to the 1986 Swedish Rally which was held over a 1670km route that comprised 557km of snowy special stages between…
Following its return to the World Rally Championship for the 1999 season, Peugeot quickly went on to break the stranglehold that Japanese manufacturers had imposed on the competition which…
Unlike the majority of T16 Evolution 2s that generally only saw action in a couple of events, chassis C207 was campaigned in half a dozen rallies during the 1986 season. It debuted as part of a three…
Chassis C205 was one of the 20 T16s built to Evolution 2 trim for use by the works Peugeot Talbot Sport operation. It debuted as part of an all-new two-car entry for Evolution 2’s third competitive…
Like every example of the 20 Evolution 2 T16s built, chassis C213 was reserved strictly for use by the works Peugeot Talbot Sport operation headed by Jean Todt. C213 made its competitive debut as part…
Like every T16 Evolution 2, chassis C203 was reserved for use by the works Peugeot Talbot Sport squad based on the outskirts of Paris. It appeared on the registration 709 EXC 75 which had…
Peugeot produced the 205 T16 with the sole intention of delivering Driver and Manufacturer titles in the World Rally Championship. At the time, rallying was even more popular than Formula 1 with huge…
When the FIA decided to ban the participation of Group B cars in the World Rally Championship from 1987 following one too many fatal accidents, Peugeot decided to withdraw from any further…
Chassis C211 was a 205 T16 Evolution 2 used by Peugeot’s works team at four rallies during the course of 1986. It was one of two new Evolution 2s that appeared for round four of the ‘86 season: the…
The original 106 Rallye Group A homologation special built between 1993 and 1995 proved such a hit that Peugeot decided to offer a Phase 2 version from March 1996. Based on the facelifted second…
Having achieved back-to-back Driver and Constructor titles at the height of the Group B era during 1985 and ‘86, Peugeot quit the World Rally Championship following the FIA’s decision to ban Group…
In terms of distance covered during competitive events, chassis C212 was probably the most extensively rallied 205 T16 Evolution 2 campaigned by the Peugeot Talbot Sport operation. C212…
In addition to the official works cars, Peugeot Talbot Sport also supplied a quintet of T16 Evolution 1s to trusted satellite operations for 1985. The Peugeot importers for Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK…
Although Lancia were first out of the blocks with a purpose-built Group B rally car, the Italian company’s failure to equip their Abarth-designed 037 with all-wheel drive for reasons of complexity…
Chassis C204 made its debut at the third event in which Peugeot campaigned the T16 Evolution 2: the 1985 Rallye Sanremo. It was one of 20 Evolution 2s built – the minimum number required by…
Following three wins from its final three WRC outings of 1984, Peugeot’s 205 T16 look the car to beat heading into the 1985 season; Lancia’s replacement for the ageing rear-drive 037 was not expected…
Peugeot’s Group B rally programme of 1984 to 1986 along with the firm’s class-leading 205 GTi hot hatch transformed the firm from maker of rather stuffy unexciting machinery to market leader. While…
Unlike the T16 Evolution 1 which was campaigned in a quasi-works capacity by some of Peugeot’s distributor teams, all 20 Evolution 2s were retained for the exclusive use of the works operation…
Peugeot’s 1984 World Rally Championship programme kicked off at the French manufacturer’s home event: the Tour de Corse in early May. Although the T16 had been homologated a month earlier (on…
A little over two-and-a-half years after Peugeot had launched arguably the greatest hot hatch of all time, a new 1.9-litre version was added to the range. Compared to the existing 1.6-litre model, the 1.9…
Chassis C201 was the first T16 Evolution 2 that Peugeot used in competition. 20 of these cars were built as per the Evolution regulations that permitted a host of upgrades every twelve months so long…
Although Bruno Saby had debuted the T16 Evolution 2 on the Tour de Corse back in May 1985, championship contenders Timo Salonen and Ari Vatanen stuck with the tried and tested Evolution 1…
Peugeot built 20 examples of the 205 T16 Evolution 2, all of which were reserved for works use. Chassis C206 was used in two events during the 1986 season. It debuted in that years’s opening…
Chassis C208 was one of 20 T16s built to Evolution 2 specification, all of which were reserved for use by the works team: Peugeot Talbot Sport (PTS). C208 made its debut in the opening round of the…
Although Peugeot decided to quit top flight rallying at the end of 1986 as a result of the FIA’s unilateral decision to ban Group B cars from 1987, the French company did subsequently introduce a…
Of the 20 T16 Evolution 1s built, Peugeot Talbot Sport (PTS) allocated four for domestic rally programmes: C13 ran under the PTS Deutschland banner, C14 PTS Espana, C15 PTS Italia and C20…