Peugeot 905

Peugeot Talbot Sport
Industry	Motorsport
Founded	November 1988
Founder	Jean Todt
Headquarters	Vélizy-Villacoublay, France
Products	Peugeot 905 sports-prototype race car

The Peugeot 905 is a sports-prototype race car developed by Peugeot Talbot Sport and introduced in February 1990. It made its initial appearance during the last two rounds of the 1990 World Sportscar Championship and participated in a total of 17 events, achieving nine race wins.

Significantly, the Peugeot 905 secured victory at the renowned 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance competition twice: initially in 1992 with drivers Derek Warwick, Yannick Dalmas, and Mark Blundell, and once more in 1993 piloted by Geoff Brabham, Christophe Bouchut, and Éric Hélary in the upgraded 905B model. Additionally, the car earned both the driver’s and team championships in the 1992 World Sportscar Championship, highlighting its superiority during that era.

Origins

In November 1988, under the leadership of Jean Todt at Vélizy-Villacoublay near Paris, Peugeot Talbot Sport initiated the 905 project to compete in the 1991 World Sportscar Championship, aligning with newly established regulations.

The innovative 905 incorporated a carbon fiber monocoque chassis designed by Dassault and was powered by a lightweight 3499 cc naturally aspirated V10 SA35-A1 engine, akin to engines used in contemporary Formula One cars. Constructed at Vélizy-Villacoublay, it was revealed on July 4, 1990, at Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours with Jean-Pierre Jabouille behind the wheel. The vehicle entered competition during the final two races of the 1990 season with drivers Jabouille and Keke Rosberg alternating. Although it was not as fast as leading Group C prototypes, it outperformed other 3.5-litre Sports-Prototypes that year.

1991 campaign

During its first complete season in 1991, the 905 demonstrated improved speed compared to its predecessor and penalized Group C rivals. Nonetheless, it encountered early setbacks related to performance and reliability and trailed behind the dominant Jaguar XJR-14, which posted lap times comparable to most Formula One teams except for the fastest contenders.

Despite these difficulties, the 905 claimed an unexpected victory at Suzuka. At the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans, both Peugeot entries retired within the initial four hours.

To better compete against Jaguar for the remainder of the season, Peugeot introduced the 905B—a significant evolution retaining only the original cockpit. Enhancements included a dual-level rear wing, an optional full-width front wing, and an upgraded SA35-A2 engine with increased power output. Debuting at Nürburgring, the 905B contributed to Peugeot’s consecutive 1-2 finishes at Magny-Cours and Mexico and ultimately secured second place overall in the championship standings.

1992 season

In the 1992 World Sportscar Championship season, Peugeot’s 905B was one of just two factory teams competing alongside Toyota, which fielded the Toyota TS010 under similar 3.5-litre regulations. The 905B excelled particularly at the 1992 24 Hours of Le Mans, achieving first and third positions overall among Group C entrants.

1993 season

With the conclusion of the World Sportscar Championship in 1993, Peugeot concentrated efforts on the 1993 24 Hours of Le Mans using the Evo 1B version of their car, accomplishing a remarkable historic sweep by finishing first through third. Development work on the 905 Evolution 2 was discontinued to prioritize this achievement. Following this period of dominance, Peugeot withdrew from sportscar racing.

Subsequently, Peugeot redirected its focus to Formula One, adapting their 3.5L V10 engine from the 905 to meet F1 specifications. Making their debut as an engine supplier with McLaren during the 1994 Formula One season, Peugeot continued until 2000 before shifting attention towards the World Rally Championship. After securing multiple WRC titles, Peugeot ended its factory WRC involvement after 2005 and returned to Le Mans competition in 2007 with their new prototype, the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP.

Specifications

Manufacturer: Peugeot
Debut race: 1990
Category: Group C1
Engine: 80° V10, with 40 valves
Power output: @ 12,500 rpm (approximately 905B)
Gearbox: 6-speed sequential manual, rear mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
Chassis: Carbon fiber Monocoque
Length
Width
Height
Weight
Tires: Michelin 32x63x17 & 34x70x18

Complete World Sportscar Championship results

... [table continues with same data but omitted here for brevity]

Year	Entrant	Class	Drivers	No.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Points	Pos
1991	Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Peugeot Talbot Sport	C1		5	Template:Country data JPN Template:Namespace detect showall SUZ	Template:Country data ITA Template:Namespace detect showall MNZ	Template:Country data GBR Template:Namespace detect showall SIL	Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall LMS	Germany NUR	Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall MAG	Template:Country data MEX Template:Namespace detect showall MEX	Template:Country data JPN Template:Namespace detect showall AUT	Points	Pos
			Template:Country data ITA Template:Namespace detect showall Mauro Baldi		1	8	6	Ret	Ret	2	2	4	69	3rd

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Entrant	Class	No	Drivers	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
1991	Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Peugeot Talbot Sport	C1	5	Template:Country data ITA Template:Namespace detect showall Mauro Baldi Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Philippe Alliot Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Jean-Pierre Jabouille	22	DNF	DNF
1991		C1	6	Template:Country data FIN Template:Namespace detect showall Keke Rosberg Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Yannick Dalmas Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Pierre-Henri Raphanel	68	DNF	DNF
1992	Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Peugeot Talbot Sport	C1	1	Template:FlagIcon Derek Warwick Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Yannick Dalmas Template:FlagIcon Mark Blundell	352	1st	1st
			2	Template:FlagIcon Mauro Baldi Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Philippe Alliot Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Jean-Pierre Jabouille	345	3rd	3rd
			31	Template:FlagIcon Karl Wendlinger Template:FlagIcon Eric van de Poele Template:Country data FRA Template:Namespace detect showall Alain Ferté	208	"DNF"	"DNF"
1993	Template:FlagIcon [[Peugeot Sport	Peugeot Talbot Sport]]	[[Group C	C1]]	"1"	Template:FlagIcon Thierry Boutsen Template:FlagIcon Yannick Dalmas Template:FlagIcon Teo Fabi	"374"	2nd	2nd
	"2"	Template:FlagIcon Philippe Alliot Template:FlagIcon Mauro Baldi Template:FlagIcon Jean-Pierre Jabouille	"367"	3rd	3rd
	"3"	Template:FlagIcon Éric Hélary Template:FlagIcon Christophe Bouchut Template:FlagIcon Geoff Brabham	"375"	1st	1st