VIN: the works Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 1 chassis C11

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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)

VIN: the works Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 1 chassis C12

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HISTORY OF CHASSIS C12

Chassis C12 was one of the 20 Evolution 1-spec. 205 T16s used by the works team between 1984 and 1985.

It was registered 323 EXA 75, a plate also appeared on chassis C1 and C11.

C12 made its debut at round three of the 1985 World Rally Championship: Rally Portugal.

It was entered for Timo Salonen and Seppo Harjanne who had joined the Peugeot squad for 1985 after five-and-a-half years with Nissan.

In Portugal, the Sanremo-spec. T16s were on hand for Salonen and fellow Finn, Ari Vatanen. Vatanen had won his last five WRC outings for Peugeot while Salonen had claimed a brace of thirds in Monte Carlo and Sweden.

A thicker front skid plate installation was the only upgrade of note.

During the event, Vatanen’s rear wheel came 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.

Driving C12, Salonen suffered a driveshaft failure while lying second but was able to nurse his car to the end of the stage and get a repair. Leader Walter Rohrl then experienced a cracked differential housing on his Audi and passed the lead to Salonen who went on to take his first win for Peugeot.

Salonen finished nearly five minutes ahead of second-placed Miki Biasion in a Jolly Club Lancia 037.

Peugeot then mounted a major attack on the 5200km Safari Rally in early April (WRC round four). A trio of specially prepared cars with a host of heavy-duty upgrades were entered for Vatanen, Saby and Salonen.

Salonen was back in C12 for what would be its final event.

Strengthened bodyshells were equipped with thicker titanium-reinforced underbody protection and beefed-up suspension. An 80-litre fuel tank was installed up front in addition to the normal 110-litre unit located under the passenger compartment. Front bull bars and spot lights were added along with an extra roof-mounted spare wheel (another spare was stored in the engine bubble). The 340bhp engines ran larger radiators and a more efficient air filter system. With all this extra equipment, weight rose to 1030kg.

Despite having thrown everything at it, the 1985 Safari was a chastening experience for Peugeot. Lancia and Audi also suffered as the ‘ultra’ Group B cars lost out to the tougher and more conventional Toyota Celica TCTs that finished first and second.

All three T16s endured turbo problems and overheating dampers. Saby crashed out and Vatanen eventually retired with a blown head gasket after a troubled run.

Only Salonen / Harjanne made the finish. They placed seventh overall in C12 but were nearly four hours behind Juha Kankunnen’s winning Celica.

Chassis C12 was subsequently retired from competition duty.

Notable History

Peugeot Talbot Sport

Registered 323 EXA 75

06/03/1985 WRC Rallye Portugal (T. Salonen . S. Harjanne) 1st oa, 1st Gr.B class (#6)
04/04/1985 WRC Safari Rally (B. Saby / J.F. Fauchille) DNF (#12)

Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
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VIN: the works Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 1 chassis C10

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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
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VIN: the works Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 1 chassis C9

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HISTORY OF CHASSIS C9

Held on nearly 5200km of gruelling gravel tracks, the Safari Rally (round four of the 1985 World Championship) was possibly the toughest motor sport event of the year.

Peugeot headed to Africa with high hopes of victory; their 205 T16s had already won in Monte Carlo, Sweden and Portugal.

The French squad took a trio of specially prepared heavy-duty cars for Ari Vatanen, Timo Salonen and Bruno Saby.

Chassis C9 was a brand new example allocated to championship leader Vatanen.

To withstand the test that lay ahead, these Safari-spec. 205s used strengthened bodyshells with thicker titanium-reinforced underbody protection and beefed-up suspension. An 80-litre fuel tank was installed up front in addition to the normal 110-litre unit located under the passenger compartment. Front bull bars and spot lights were added along with a roof-mounted spare wheel plus another stored in the engine bubble. The 340bhp engines ran larger radiators and a more efficient air filter system. As a result of all this extra equipment, weight rose to 1030kg.

Once underway, Vatanen stayed with the lead group for much of the event.

However, just after the halt at Mount Kilimanjaro he broke a shock absorber. A fuse in the petrol pump then failed which meant he ran out of fuel. The Finn struggled to a pump to buy a few litres only to run out again. Half an hour was lost.

Vatanen later had to call the helicopter to deal with a stone that had wrecked a caliper which dropped him from third to fifth. Soon afterwards, he retired when the radiator started to leak and his head gasket blew.

Bruno Saby crashed out which meant Timo Salonen / Seppo Harjanne were the only works Peugeot entrants to finish. They placed seventh overall but were nearly four hours behind Juha Kankunnen’s winning Toyota Celica.

Peugeot’s run of six back-to-back WRC victories between 1984 and 1985 had come to an abrupt end.

After this solitary outing, chassis C9 was retired from active duty.

Notable History

Peugeot Talbot Sport

Registered 704 EXC 75

04/04/1985 WRC Safari Rally (A. Vatanen / T. Harryman) DNF (#7)

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VIN: the works Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 1 chassis C8

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HISTORY OF CHASSIS C8

Peugeot went into the 1985 Safari Rally having won the opening three events of that year’s World Championship. The French team had also taken victory at the last three rallies they contested in 1984 so were on a hot streak of six back-to-back wins.

Peugeot entered three T16 Evolution 1s for the gruelling East African event which, at 5167km and 88 stages, was easily the longest on the 1985 calendar.

A variety of heavy-duty upgrades were made to give the T16s the best chance of survival.

Each car was equipped with a strengthened bodyshell, thicker titanium-reinforced underbody protection and beefed-up suspension. An 80-litre fuel tank was installed up front in addition to the normal 110-litre unit located under the passenger compartment. Front bull bars and spot lights were added along with an extra roof-mounted spare wheel. Another spare was stored in the engine bubble. 340bhp engines ran larger radiators and a more efficient air filter system. With all this extra equipment, weight rose to 1030kg.

Chassis C8 was allocated to Timo Salonen and Seppo Harjanne.

It was the only T16 to make the finish and crossed the line seventh, nearly four hours behind Juha Kankunnen’s winning Toyota Celica.

C8 was not used again by the works team. In addition to having a surplus of Evolution 1s at their disposal, Peugeot’s even faster Evolution 2 variant would break cover at the next WRC event (the Tour de Corse on May 2nd).

Notable History

Peugeot Talbot Sport

Registered 123 FBL 75

04/04/1985 WRC Safari Rally (T. Salonen / S. Harjanne) 7th oa, 7th Gr.B class (#6)

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VIN: the works Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 1 chassis C7

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HISTORY OF C7

Although it took three attempts for Peugeot’s number one driver, Ari Vatanen, to translate the T16’s raw speed into a WRC victory, the Finn then won five rallies back-to-back between late 1984 and early 1985.

The second and third of those victories came in this car, chassis C7.

The Rallye Sanremo took place from September 30th to October 5th, four weeks after Vatanen and Peugeot’s maiden win on the 1000 Lakes. It was Lancia’s home event and comprised a mixture of tarmac and gravel stages.

Two brand new T16 Evolution 1s were entered: chassis C7 for Ari Vatanen / Terry Harryman and chassis C6 for Jean-Pierre Nicholas / Charley Pasquier. The cars had shed a further 20kg, been given an improved air supply to the rear brakes and were fitted with new BBS wheels for the tarmac stages.

Vatanen turned up in imperious form and was now able to clearly demonstrate the T16’s superiority over the opposition. The only hiccup en route to a superb victory was a spin after a flash flood caused C7 to aquaplane on a stage that never should have gone ahead in the first place.

Vatanen eventually finished over five-and-a-half minutes ahead of runner up Attilio Bettega’s Lancia 037.

With two wins on the bounce, Peugeot skipped the Ivory Coast Rally to test in Kenya. They returned with a single car entry for the season-ending RAC Rally held from November 25th to 29th.

Chassis C7 was selected because (like Sanremo) the RAC was another mix of tarmac and gravel. The car was also already set up to Vatanen’s liking.

Despite a number of mishaps, Vatanen once again dominated proceedings. At one stage the fire extinguisher went off in the cockpit and the bonnet also flew off. The car also experienced a gentle roll in soft scenery but, thanks to some enthusiastic spectators, it was soon righted. Vatanen then calmly managed to regain the lead he’d handed to Hannu Mikkola’s Audi.

The Finn eventually finished 40 seconds ahead of Mikkola with Per Eklund third for Toyota.

Chassis C7 was retired from competition duty with a perfect record of two wins from two rallies.

Notable History

Peugeot Talbot Sport

Registered 128 FBL 75

30/09-05/10/1984 WRC Rallye Sanremo (A. Vatanen / T. Harryman) 1st oa, 1st Gr.B class (#3)
25-29/11/1984 WRC RAC Rally (A. Vatanen / T. Harryman) 1st oa, 1st Gr.B class (#2)

Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
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VIN: the works Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 1 chassis C6

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HISTORY OF CHASSIS C6

At the 1000 Lakes Rally in August 1984, Ari Vatanen secured the 205 T16’s maiden WRC win. On the back of this historic result, the victorious car (chassis C4) was retired from competition duty.

Four cars had been used in the opening three events: one had been destroyed and the other three were simply put aside in favour of fresher machinery. With a stock of 20 T16 Evolution 1s and twelve months to use them (before the Evolution 2 came on stream) Peugeot were able to run new or very low mileage cars at every rally.

Peugeot’s fourth event with the T16 was the Rallye Sanremo held from September 30th to October 5th 1984. Two brand new Evolution 1s were taken to Italy for the mixed tarmac and gravel event: chassis C6 for Jean-Pierre Nicolas / Charley Pasquier and chassis C7 for Ari Vatanen / Terry Harryman.

The cars had shed a further 20kg, been given an improved air supply to the rear brakes and were fitted with new BBS wheels for the tarmac stages.

In the sister car, Vatanen / Harryman proved unstoppable and secured a well deserved victory on Lancia’s home soil. Meanwhile, Nicolas / Pasquier were fifth in chassis C6 (behind a trio of Lancia 037s).

The event was marred by a number of spectator injuries including one that saw a cameraman tossed over C6’s bonnet during a night stage.

Chassis C6’s second and final outing for the works Peugeot squad came in the 1985 Monte Carlo Rally (January 26th to February 1st). Peugeot arrived with a trio of T16s for the 1985 season-opener, all of which were in tarmac trim and weighed around 960kg.

Deeming the Group B cars too fast, Jean-Pierre Nicholas had retired at the end of 1984. Peugeot also expanded to a three car effort at most rallies so added Timo Salonen and tarmac-specialist Bruno Saby to their driver roster.

Ari Vatanen took a convincing Monte Carlo win in one of the brand new sister cars (C11) and Salonen finished third in the other (C10). The one-rally-old chassis C6 placed fifth with Bruno Saby at the wheel and Jean-Francois Fauchille navigating.

Following a brace of fifth place finishes from its two WRC outings, chassis C6 was withdrawn from further competition use.

Notable History

Peugeot Talbot Sport

Registered 709 EXC 75

30/09-05/10/1984 WRC Rallye Sanremo (J.P. Nicolas / C. Pasquier) 5th oa, 5th Gr.B class (#8)

Registered 123 FBL 75

26/01-01/02/1985 WRC Monte Carlo Rallye (B. Saby / J.F. Fauchille) 5th oa, 5th Gr.B class (#8)

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VIN: the works Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 1 chassis C4

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HISTORY OF CHASSIS C4

As Peugeot had to build 20 examples of the T16 Evolution 1 for it to be homologated, the works team had an abundance of cars at their disposal.

Each chassis was typically used for between one and three events.

On the car’s debut at the 1984 Tour de Corse, Ari Vatanen’s example was destroyed in a crash (chassis C1) and the other (C2) finished fourth in the hands of Jean-Pierre Nicolas. C2 was then retired from competition duty and two brand new cars were wheeled out for the T16’s next WRC outing: the Acropolis Rally.

Held over five days in late May on dusty, rough and rocky Greek roads, it was the T16’s first taste of gravel as the Tour de Corse had been an all-tarmac affair.

Variations made from the tarmac spec. included sound-proofing panels in the roof, better interior ventilation, ride height raised by 8cm and extra wishbone protection. There were also bigger fuel tanks, smaller brake discs and thicker sump guards. Kevlar reinforcements were made around the wheelarches and rear clam. All told, these upgrades added around 60kg.

Chassis C4 was allocated to Nicholas / Pasquier. Unfortunately, they retired with a broken wheel hub that was caused by a succession of smaller incidents beginning with rock damage to a brake disc.

After the Acropolis, the rest of the field flew out for rallies in New Zealand and Argentina but Peugeot stayed in Europe to test.

The next time a T16 appeared was at the 1000 Lakes Rally in Finland. Held from August 24th to 26th, the 1000 Lakes was another fast gravel event. Peugeot entered just one car: chassis C4 for Vatanen / Harryman.

C4 had received several upgrades since the Acropolis to include a new lightweight navigator’s seat, plastic headlights, extra underside protection and polyurethane protection for the front wishbones. Weight was 940kg.

After demonstrating considerable potential by leading in Corsica and Greece, Vatanen came good to win the rally by over two minutes. Lancia 037s were second (Alen) and third (Toivonen) but Vatanen was unstoppable and notched up 29 stage wins out of 51.

Having scored Peugeot’s first WRC victory, chassis C4 was retired from competition duty.

Notable History

Peugeot Talbot Sport

Registered 709 EXC 75

26-31/05/1984 WRC Acropolis Rally (J.P. Nicolas / C. Pasquier) DNF (#12)

Registered 704 EXC 75

24-26/08/1984 WRC 1000 Lakes Rally (A. Vatanen / T. Harryman) 1st oa, 1st Gr.B class (#4)

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VIN: the works Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 1 chassis C3

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HISTORY OF CHASSIS C3

On the T16’s debut at the 1984 Tour de Corse, Ari Vatanen demonstrated the new Peugeot had rally-winning potential. Unfortunately, after leading for the first two days, he had a major crash and destroyed his car (chassis C1). The sister T16 (chassis C2, driven by Jean-Pierre Nicolas) finished fourth.

As Peugeot had a full 20 Evolution 1s to use up over the next twelve months (before the Evolution 2 would be homologated), chassis C2 was retired from competition duty after just one event.

A pair of brand new T16s were wheeled out for the model’s second WRC outing: the 1984 Acropolis Rally.

Held over five days in late May on dusty, rough and rocky Greek roads, it was the T16’s first taste of gravel as the Tour de Corse had been an all-tarmac affair.

Variations made from the tarmac spec. included sound-proofing panels in the roof, better interior ventilation, ride height raised by 8cm and extra wishbone protection. There were also bigger fuel tanks, smaller brake discs and thicker sump guards. Kevlar reinforcements were made around the wheelarches and rear clam. All told, these upgrades added around 60kg.

Chassis C3 was driven on the Acropolis by Ari Vatanen and Terry Harryman. As had been the case in Corsica, Vatanen led but failed to finish. This time his car threw its second oil pump drive belt and expired.

Unfortunately for Peugeot, Nicolas made it a double DNF in the sister car (C4). His wheel hub had broken due to a succession of smaller incidents that started with a rock damaging a brake disc.

Audi took first and second on the Acropolis in 1984: Stig Blomqvist led Hannu Mikkola and Markku Alen was third in a Lancia 037.

After its outing on the Acropolis, Peugeot Talbot Sport retired C3 from competition duty.

Notable History

Peugeot Talbot Sport

Registered 716 EXC 75

26/05/1984 WRC Acropolis Rally (A. Vatanen / T. Harryman) DNF (#3)

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VIN: the works Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 1 chassis C2

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HISTORY OF CHASSIS C2

Chassis C2 was one of the original 20 Evolution 1-spec. T16s built for Peugeot’s works World Rally Championship attack.

Alongside the sister car (C1), C2 was present for the T16’s competition debut at the 1984 Tour de Corse. The two brand new T16s ran a conservative 330bhp.

Held between May 3rd and 5th, the Tour de Corse was round five of the 1984 World Rally Championship. An all-tarmac event around the isle of Corsica, it was the only WRC event on French soil and therefore of particular importance to Peugeot.

C2 was driven by Jean-Pierre Nicolas and Charley Pasquier.

Nicolas’s team-mate, Ari Vatanen, led the opening two days in C1. However, on day three, the Finn wrecked his car in a massive crash.

By contrast, Nicolas had a steady drive in C2. The Frenchman was making his return to the sport after four years out and the powerful Group B cars must have been a shock to the system. He and Pasquier eventually finished fourth.

Victory went to the Lancia 037 of Markku Alen with Miki Biasion second (in another 037) and the Renault 5 Turbo of Jean Ragnotti third.

Peugeot subsequently retired C2 from competition duty.

Notable History

Peugeot Talbot Sport

Registered 697 EXC 75

03/05/1984 WRC Tour de Corse (J.P. Nicolas / C. Pasquier) 4th oa, 4th Gr.B class (#12)

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VIN: the works Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 1 chassis C1

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HISTORY OF CHASSIS C1

Chassis C1 and C2 were the T16 Evolution 1s used by Peugeot for the model’s competition debut. This took place at round five of the 1984 World Rally Championship: the Tour de Corse. A tarmac event around the isle of Corsica, as the rally was held on French soil, it was especially important for Peugeot to do well.

C1 was registered 323 EXA 75, a plate later used by both chassis C10 and C12 in 1985.

Ari Vatanen and Terry Harryman were entered in C1 for the Tour de Corse with Jean-Pierre Nicolas and Charley Pasquier in the sister car.

Vatanen led the opening two days but, at 5am on day three, the Finn aquaplaned off the road at 80mph. C1 rolled several times and plunged 50 yards into some boulders. The crash ruptured the fuel lines and C1 was quickly consumed by fire.

Thankfully, Vatanen and Harryman escaped uninjured but C1 never saw competitive action again.

Nicolas brought the sister car home in fourth behind the Lancia 037s of Markku Alen and Miki Biasion. Jean Ragnotti was third in a Renault 5 Turbo.

Notable History

Peugeot Talbot Sport

Registered 323 EXA 75

03/05/1984 WRC Tour de Corse (A. Vatanen / T. Harryman) DNF (#4)

Wrecked in Vatanen’s Tour de Corse crash

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VIN: the works Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 1 chassis C19

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HISTORY OF CHASSIS C19

Of the 20 T16 Evolution 1s built, chassis C19 was one of 16 retained for works use. The other four were allocated to Peugeot’s German, Spanish, Italian and UK distributor teams.

In addition to C19, two other works T16s wore the registration number 123 FBL 75: chassis C6 on the 1985 Monte Carlo Rally and chassis C8 on the 1985 Safari.

With an abundance of cars at their disposal, the works team (Peugeot Talbot Sport) rarely used any given chassis more than a couple of times.

C19 was called up for duty twice: at the New Zealand and Argentine rallies of 1985. On both occasions it was driven by Ari Vatanen and navigated by Terry Harryman.

Peugeot went to New Zealand with the enviable record of seven victories from eleven WRC events. This rally would, however, mark the first one-two finish for the team.

The T16s arrived in gravel spec. similar to that used on the Acropolis albeit with the ride height dropped by an inch plus thinner and lighter sump guards.

In a largely trouble-free event for Peugeot, Timo Salonen and Seppo Harjanne took the win and finished one minute 17 seconds ahead of Vatanen / Harryman in second.

The team left New Zealand with Salonen leading the Driver standings on 68 points. Audi’s Stig Blomqvist was second on 60 and Vatanen was third on 55.

Rally Argentina was expected to be the last event before Peugeot switched full-time to the Evolution 2. Three cars were taken to South America: one for Salonen, another for Vatanen and a third for local hero Carlos Reutemann who was making his first competitive appearance since abandoning Formula 1 in early 1982.

This time the T16s were in Rally Portugal spec. with as much ground clearance as possible.

Audi notably used the event to debut their wild Quattro Sport Evolution 2.

Perhaps mindful of the points gap to his team-mate, Vatanen was pushing C19 hard on the second stage when he hit a mudhole at 120mph and launched the car into a series of violent rolls.

Described at the time as the most serious survivable crash ever seen, Vatanen sustained major injuries and, although he went on to compete for Peugeot in the Paris-Dakar and at Pikes Peak, he never completed another full WRC campaign.

Terry Harryman miraculously escaped relatively unscathed but chassis C19 was wrecked and never saw active duty again.

Notable History

Peugeot Talbot Sport

Registered 123 FBL 75

29/06/1985 WRC New Zealand Rally (A. Vatanen / T. Harryman) 2nd oa, 2nd Gr.B class (#2)
30/07/1985 WRC Rally Argentina (A. Vatanen / T. Harryman) DNF (#4)

Wrecked in Vatanen’s Rally Argentina crash

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VIN: the Bernard Darniche Peugeot 205 T16 Evolution 1 chassis M1

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HISTORY OF CHASSIS M1

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 reserved for Peugeot works and distributor teams but Darniche managed to secure chassis M1, a rebuilt ex works car re-numbered out of sequence with the other Evolution 1s.

Registered 932 SB 74, chassis M1 was prepared by Fred Stadler and at the Tour de Corse had backing from French tobacco company, Gauloises.

The car subsequently contested the Ypres 24 Hour Rally (in white and red Belga livery) and later the Tour Auto de la Reunion (where it was back in the blue Gauloises bodywork). However, it failed to finish on all three occasions.

In its unusual blue colour scheme with contrasting white wheels, this was perhaps the most handsome T16 of all.

Darniche kept the car into 1986 and did one minor event with it but mostly used his new Lancia 037 that season.

Notable History

Bernard Darniche

Registered 932 SB 74

02/05/1985 WRC Tour de Corse (B. Darniche / A. Mahe) DNF (#14) Gauloises Blondes
28/06/1985 ERC Ypres 24 Hours Rally (B. Darniche / A. Mahe) DNF (#3) Belga Team
27/07/1985 FRA Tour Auto de la Reunion (B. Darniche / A. Mahe) DNF (#7) Galouises Blondes

23/10/1986 ERC Rallye International du Valais (B. Darniche / A. Mahe ) ran (#??)

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Photo copyright: Peugeot - http://www.peugeot.com