Guide: Peugeot Quasar
Background
In its many guises, the 205 was arguably the most important Peugeot of modern times. Prior to its arrival, the firm was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy owing to a combination of bad management, lacklustre products and poor trading conditions.
Following the 205’s arrival in February 1983, it scored rave reviews and customers flocked to buy what was routinely cited as the best supermini on the market.
Peugeot’s image and order book got another major boost when the era-defining 205 GTi came on stream in April 1984. The critically acclaimed sporty 205 usurped the Golf GTi as king of the hot hatches and added a touch of glamour to Peugeot’s line up.
However, Peugeot were not content to stop there; as part of the brand’s revival, it embarked on a high profile attack on the World Rally Championship with another iteration of the 205: the mid-engined four-wheel drive T16.
At the time, the premier rally category was Group B which required a production run of just 200 road cars to qualify. As a consequence, the Group B era produced the most extreme rally cars ever seen.
Peugeot invested heavily to create the T16. In addition to the road car programme, a brand new competition department was established on the outskirts of Paris staffed by 90 employees.
The 205 T16 made its competition debut on the Tour de Corse in May 1984. In its third, fourth and fifth WRC outings, it scored a hat-trick of wins and as a result went into the ‘85 season as hot favourite.
To enhance their revitalised image yet further, Peugeot decided to create a T16-based design concept for the Paris Motor Show in October 1984.
The resultant Quasar was the first concept car produced in-house by Peugeot. It was designed by Gerard Welter (exterior) and Paul Bracq (interior) at the Peugeot Styling Centre in La Garenne, Paris.
The futuristic two-seater was named after an astronomical phenomenon where accretion of matter into supermassive black holes creates the most luminous, powerful, and energetic objects known in the universe.
Chassis
Peugeot based the Quasar on the 205 T16’s central steel monocoque to which steel subframes were attached front and back. As per the T16, the wheelbase measured 2540mm and the central section was reinforced with an integrated roll cage.
Suspension was via double wishbones with a single coil spring and telescopic Bilstein damper at each corner. Anti-roll bars were fitted at either end.
Ventilated brake discs were installed all round; they were most likely the 300mm diameter front and 273mm diameter rears from the T16 Evolution 1. Four-piston AP calipers would also therefore have been used.
Instead of a four-stud fixing, the Quasar’s new 16-inch diameter turbine-style wheels came with a centre-lock attachment. The handsome body coloured rims were shod with the latest generation Michelin MXX tyres.
Engine / Gearbox
Another unique feature of the Quasar was its twin instead of single turbo engine.
It was derived from the T16 Evolution 1’s all alloy water-cooled inline ‘four’. Displacement was an unchanged 1775cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 83mm and 82mm respectively.
Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection was employed, but compression ratio and boost pressure figure were never published.
As per the Evolution 1, the Quasar’s engine was dry-sumped and fitted with reinforced pistons, heavy-duty sleeves, 30° intake valves, 50° exhaust valves and Champion BN 60 spark plugs. Two KKK K26 twin scroll turbochargers were installed, each with an air-to-air intercooler.
The Quasar also most likely came with Peugeot’s ‘Dispositif Pre-rotation Variable’ anti-lag system (DPV) similar to the type used on Renault’s Formula 1 engines.
A custom fabricated free-flow exhaust culminated in two massive centrally exiting megaphones.
Peak output was a claimed 600bhp and 360lb-ft.
Transmission was through a five-speed gearbox, Ferguson four-wheel drive system with fixed 40/60 torque split, ZF limited-slip differentials at both axles and a ventilated twin-plate clutch. A state-of-the-art traction control system was also reputedly employed.
Bodywork
The Quasar was clothed in a tightly packaged body fabricated from a mixture of carbonfibre and Kevlar.
It featured a short plunging nose at the base of which was a body coloured front spoiler with a large central intake. Additional cooling slats were located between the slender single piece light units and up towards the windscreen
Thanks to the enormous windscreen, large side windows and a glass roof, the interior was flooded with natural light. Black A-pillars gave the cockpit canopy a seamless look.
Down each flank, Peugeot fitted deep side skirts and butterfly doors. Behind the doors were arced cooling scoops that ran from the roof down to the sills.
The Quasar’s back end was arguably its most radical feature. Behind the rear wheels, the bodywork was cutaway in a fashion reminiscent of the Porsche 917 Kurzheck. Flying buttresses swept down from behind the cockpit and culminated in a fixed rear spoiler.
Mechanical elements such as the engine and exhaust system were left exposed.
Enormous twin venturis sucked the car onto the ground.
The only visual link to the T16 was a pair of tail light clusters.
Interior
The Quasar’s cockpit was loaded with advanced Clarion electronic systems.
Directly behind the three-spoke steering wheel was a sloping instrument binnacle with an array of digital LCD read outs that provided information on all the car’s systems and carried out safety checks.
Integrated in the centre of the dash was a CRT monitor for the navigation system. This enabled routes to be mapped and road condition warnings to be given. It could also play Videotex and Telex messages.
Underneath the CRT monitor were CD and cassette players surrounded by a natural alloy fascia. A matching fascia was also used for the control panel off to the right of the CRT monitor where an array of plugs-ins and audio controls were located.
Behind the gear lever was another bank of touch-sensitive switches.
Seats imported from the T16 were upholstered in bright red leather to match the dash surround, outer door panels, upper transmission tunnel, sills, rear bulkhead, cockpit pillars and roof.
The sills and rear bulkhead were given a diamond quilted pattern. A Peugeot lion was embossed into the faces of the seat backs.
Weight / Performance
Peugeot claimed the Quasar weighed in at 900kg.
With a power-to-weight ratio 666bhp per ton, performance was likely spectacular.
Depending on gearing, a top speed in the region of 200mph would have been possible along with a 0-62mph time of circa 4 seconds.
Subsequent History
Although the Quasar was never seriously considered for production, tentative assessments were reputedly made as to whether it would be a suitable platform for the Group S category that was set to replace Group B. However, like Group B, Group S was also cancelled in May 1986 after a number of high profile rally fatalities.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Peugeot - http://www.peugeot.com
