Eight epic cutaway images reveal the magic of Lancia.
Put together by various talented artists across a wide span of time, these eight photos serve to remind that the beauty of racing cars can be far more than skin deep. They’re all equally fantastic, however our favorite has to be either the Montecarlo, or the 037. We hope you enjoy them as much as we did! 
Under the Skin: Lancia cutaways is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
If you enjoyed RUSH but thought it featured a little too much Hollywood influence at times, this new movie is for you.
Movie length, top quality and featuring the likes of Niki Lauda, Michael Schumacher, Jackie Stewart, Damon Hill, Nigel Mansell, Jacky Ickx, Mario Andretti and Lewis Hamilton – “1″ is a Formula 1 documentary for the ages.
Now available. Buy “1″ the movie on iTunes here.
Trailer: Movie length documentary celebrates F1 heros is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
On this day in 1950 Canadian racing legend Gilles Villeneuve was born, let’s remember the great Canadian with a collection photographs from three of six the Formula 1 Grand Prix he won.
Formula 1 Grand Prix USA – 1979 – Watkins Glen
Steering his signature 12 cylinders of Ferrari might, Gilles Villeneuve holds off the Renault of Rene Arnoux and takes first place at the second F1 GP to be held on American soil in 1979. Watkins Glen was the final round of the season, the opening round was held at Long Beach – which he also won. Villeneuve finished the season in second place, behind team mate Jody Scheckter.
Formula 1 Grand Prix Monaco – 1981
Claiming his first victory since 1979, this photograph shows Gilles Villeneuve on his way to victory during the Monaco Grand Prix of 1981. Nelson Piquet led for much of the race, but crashed out late on. New race leader Alan Jones then suffered a fuel feed problem in the latter stages of the race, allowing Gilles Villeneuve in his Ferrari, to take his first victory since 1979.
Formula 1 Grand Prix Spain – 1981
Still remembered as one of the closest finishes in F1 history, and one of Gilles Villeneuve’s greatest races, the 1981 Spanish GP saw just 1.24 seconds separate first and 5th place. Gilles drove like a mastermind and kept pole-winning Jacques Lafitte behind him to win by just over two tenths of one second.
For our photo gallery showcasing the best of Gilles click here.
Images: TheCahierArchive©
Buy prints of these photographs from just $49
Gallery: Three great GPs won by Gilles Villeneuve is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Image: Nissan
We’re big fans of the Datsun 510, or Datsun 1600, here at Motorsport Retro. Back in the golden age of motoring they offered great performance at a good price, with oodles of potential for modification. A brilliant little drivers’ car!
Nissan set concepts of their new IDx loose on the world at the Detroit motorshow this week and we’re feeling more than a little racing history love from the performance Nismo edition.
Image via ZCarblog
Light weight and rear wheel drive, with lines and a livery that references the classic white with red and blue stripes of classic racing Datsun 510s. It has us reminiscing about the glory days of the 510.
The IDx is certainly out there, and we’re not fans of every angle, but it looks like great fun and we can’t wait to see what comes of it! Check out the pics, and let us know what you think!
Images: Nissan
Nissan References Classic Racers With Super Modern IDx is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Hans Herrmann makes a lucky escape from his BRM at the 1959 German Grand Prix, AVUS.
Photo: Porsche
Photo of the Day: Lucky escape at the 1959 German GP is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Instantly recognisable and super quick, the Eddie Stobart-liveried Mk2 Escort RS1800 GP4 will head to the auction block at Silverstone Auctions’ upcoming Race Retro & Classic Car Sale, ready to propel a lucky new historic racer to motorsport glory.
Built to the absolute furthest reaches of historic RS1800 development by Prefab Motorsport Engineering, this little rocket runs a chassis-mounted Sherwood two-litre alloy block BDG, with dry sump, Lucas ignition, and 48 DCOSP Weber carbies. The power plant puts out 260bhp and sings through a Tony Law exhaust.
Tested by rally legend Colin McRae, the car’s career of bountiful victories was kicked off by Jimmy McRae when he won the 2006 Roger Albert Clark Rally. McRae and co-driver Andy Richardson went on to take outright victory in the pre-’81 category of the 2007 British Historic Championship, accumulating outright wins in events such as the Rally of Flanders along the way.
In 2008 Alister McRae drove the car to an outright win in the historic category of the Colin McRae Memorial Rally, surging ahead of drivers like Ari Vatenen and Hannu Mikkola.
2009 saw the car treated to a full nut-and-bolt rebuild, preserving its famous Stobart livery.
The car’s in brilliant condition, fiercely competitive and sold with MSA stage rally logbook and Historic Rally Vehicle Identity Form, so it’s ready to race, or take its place in any collection of historic racing cars.
It will head to auction at Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro and Classic Car Sale on the 22nd of February, 2014. Head to the Silverstone Auctions website here for the full info.
Images via Silverstone Auctions
For Sale: 1977 Ford Escort Mk2 Escort RS1800 Gp4 Historic Rally Car is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Heartwarming video recaps the recent HSR Sebring event, and lets friend and fellow racer John Paul Jr know they’re thinking about him.
Recently we ran a story surrounding the HSR event at Sebring, which was part of the groups efforts to raise money for the John Paul JR Huntington Disease Fund, which has been named after a close friend and racer from within the HSR community.
John Paul JR continues to fight the disease, and HSR have now announced that the event raised more than $30,000 (USD) in donations and gifts, with more left to count.
As a result, the Department of Neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine of UCLA have issued their sincerest thanks the drivers, fans, and volunteers at the HSR event who came together in support of Huntington’s Disease research.
HSR have since made this video for their friend, enjoy:
Video update: HSR hit Sebring, and raise $30k is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
This Cisitalia D46 has a story to tell.
We really appreciate unrestored race cars here at Motorsport Retro. That’s not to say that we don’t like seeing pristine bodywork and perfect chrome, but there’s a real charm about ex-competition cars that wear their decades of stories in full view. The Cisitalia D46 is one, remembering the deeds of Tazio Nuvolari at Torino during the Coppa Brezzi in 1946.
Well over half a century has since elapsed, and today the surface of the D46 is looking what many may call worse for wear. Yet every mark, every crack tells it’s own story, and in our eyes it would be nothing short of a shame to see a car like this stripped and sand blasted before being repaired, remade, repainted and reborn. To do so would sanitize the car of the character it has spent 70 years accumulating, and that character is exactly what this video is all about celebrating:
More than skin deep: The beauty of Cisitalia is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
There’s a guilty pleasure in pawing over ridiculously desirable ex-race cars with sky high prices to match. These were the six most upscale examples to change hands in 2013.
Six truly amazing machines, which sold during 2013 for truly amazing prices. We’ve listed all prices in US dollars, and can’t help but wonder regardless of a buyers worth, how does one go about explaining to their wife that they just spent ten million dollars on a vintage racing car?
#6: 1953 Ferrari 375 MM Spider ($9,075,000)
One of just 12 ever built, this particular chassis carries the distinction of winning the SCCA National Championship in 1953. It’s also the only example known to feature the unmistakable pontoon fenders, making it a one of a kind buy to boot.
Only nine of this shape were ever constructed, and with just eight surviving today this ’57 build is a particularly rare find for Ferrari 250 enthusiasts. Every number matches up on this particular car, which went a long way to securing it’s $9.5m final price.
#4: 1935 Alfa Romeo 8C-35 Grand Prix Monoposto ($9,654,054)
The most expensive Alfa Romeo ever sold, we wrote about the charm of this particular chassis just a short while ago. Age has not diminished the ability of the oldest car on the list to race, with the best surviving example of an 8C-35 in the world remaining in fully functional, competition condition.
The six most expensive race cars auctioned in 2013 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
The story behind these incredibly compelling photographs is even more interesting than you’d think.
This video tells the tale of the 1974 Dino 246 GTS which was found buried in Los Angeles sometime in 1978. Jalopnik tracked down the owner of the car today, as well as the incredible story that goes with it. Enjoy.
Dug Up: The mystery of the buried Dino solved is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
For those who spend their nights in the garage, this video is for you.
“Race. Restore. Repeat” the video proclaims after demonstrating the process involved in completely rebuilding this particular Formula Ford race car. Starting from the chassis-up, this clip serves to remind us all of just how much work has gone into each and every race car that’s ever raced, and particularly of the dedication of those who continue to do so from their garage.
Video: Formula Ford time-lapse rebuild is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Onboard footage from Bathurst 1982 takes us into the cabin of Dick Johnson for a novel on-track interview.
Watch as Mike Raymond and Chris Economaki chat to Australian racing legend Dick Johnson whilst he races around Bathurst in 1982. It’s a very cool piece of footage, made all the better for the tenses pauses in conversation whilst Johnson focuses on something important – like overtaking a competitor or jamming hard on the brakes. It seems strange today to watch a driver interviewed whilst he’s racing – but it sure is entertaining. Why don’t we see more of this today?
Video: Dick Johnson interviewed whilst racing Bathurst 1982 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Fascinating in-depth look at Sweden’s contribution to the world of Formula 1.
The news that Marcus Ericsson will make his Formula 1 debut with Caterham this year end a 23-year drought of Swedish Grand Prix drivers. Until now, the last time a Swede raced in F1 was Stefan Johansson’s in a Footwork in Canada, 1991.
Johansson, on paper, should have had a winning career in F1 with two years at Ferrari, and one year at McLaren among his 79 starts. His best finish was second place, which he did four times. His final podium finish came unexpectedly with the doomed Moneytron Onyx team in 1989. He didn’t get beyond Friday morning’s pre-qualifying session eight times that year, so the third place in Portugal was a largely unexpected highlight. Not only was it Johansson’s last podium, it was the final time Onyx would score points.
‘Little Leif’ has a fondness for the Onyx team, run by the more than flamboyant Jean-Pierre van Rossem. The Belgian played with the stock market, and made millions. But his fickle nature meant that politics and constant changes in staff gave no consistency, and van Rossem soon lost interest. Once the team was out of his hands it descended quickly to oblivion, and van Rossem was later jailed.”Overall I was very happy with that period,” says Johansson. “I took a big gamble to go with a new team in Onyx. I had an agreement with Ligier and could have had 1989 there if I wanted. I knew the staff at Onyx very well from when the team won in F3000 and I knew that they were very capable. I felt comfortable with the choice I made.”
While van Rossem was not everyone’s cup of tea in the F1 paddock, Johansson worked well with him. “Our relationship was very good,” he says. “I only have positive things to say about him. Many people wanted him pushed aside because he was rather eccentric. Personally I liked him enormously. He had a great sense of humor and he was very creative. His business way of thinking for the team to evolve was also one of his strengths. He ultimately fulfilled each promise to me, and even did more than we had agreed. Unfortunately we never had the opportunity to progress into 1990.”
The team was taken over by Peter Monteverdi and Karl Foitek. After just two races Johansson was replaced by Foitek’s son Gregor, but by mid-season, internal bust-ups, and a dire lack of funds and changing staff forced the doors to close on what had, at one time, been a promising looking race team.
Johansson recalls that 1990 season. “At that time I knew that my deal could be on or off. When van Rossem left, suddenly everything became more political. On that basis I knew that I had no future within the team. It was to be expected that under the leadership of Monteverdi the team would only get worse.”
Johansson only raced once more in F1, that 1991 Canadian Grand Prix. He won at Le Mans in 1997 in a Joest Porsche, teamed with Michele Alboreto and a young Tom Kirstensen. It was the first win for the Dane at the classic 24 Hours, and (to date) eight more have followed. Johansson is currently the manager of three-time – and reigning – IndyCar champion Scott Dixon.
At least Johansson had tasted success in F1, of the nine Swedes that to have raced in F1 so far, three of them (Bertol Roos, Torsten Palm and Conny Anderson) only made one start each.
At the other end of the scale, only three Swedes have won; the first was Jo Bonnier in the BRM at Zandvoort, 1959, and Gunnar Nilsson with one victory each.
Ronnie Peterson is runaway the most successful Swede with 10 Grand Prix wins and second and third place finishes the championship.
With Caterham’s roots in Team Lotus, it’s fitting that’s where Ericsson will race. Nine of Petersons 10 wins came in a Lotus, as did Nilsson’s solitary victory.
Bonnier also competed in a Lotus, and Reine Wisell’s best finish (a podium at the United States Grand Prix, 1970) was in the famous red and gold of Gold Leaf Lotus.
Which leaves two others. Slim Borgudd made 10 starts, his best a sixth place at Silverstone in 1981. Borgudd is without doubt better known for being a session drummer with ABBA, and carried the Swedish super-group’s logo on the side pods of his ATS car.
Ericsson certainly has an uphill battle to be competitive with Caterham this year, the team finishing last in constructors points in 2013. As the 10th Swedish Grand Prix driver in 64 years, he is already in an elite group. Whether he will add to his country’s points tally waits to be seen.
By Andy Hallbery, www.romanceofracing.com
Photos by Bernard and Paul-Henri Cahier, (www.f1-photo.com)
A tale of Swedish F1 drivers is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
The 1967 Monaco Grand Prix and Bruce McLaren sits with his BRM V8 powered McLaren M4B. Denny Hulme would go on to win the race, with McLaren placing 4th.
Photo of the Day: Bruce McLaren at Monaco 1967 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
In 2000 Alain Menu, Anthony Reid and Rickard Rydell dominated the British Touring Car Championship in Prodrive-built Ford Mondeo Super Tourers, claiming a perfect three-for-three when they finished the championship with Menu champion, Reid second and Rydell third. You’ll have to supply the talent, skill, experience and bravery, but you’ll be able to buy one of their cars, when it heads up for sale at Silverstone Auctions’ upcoming Race Retro & Classic Car Sale.
Prodrive built four cars for the season and one didn’t survive it, making this car, Rydell’s, one of just three. In it, Rydell won three rounds during the 2000 season, and spent most of the other races swapping places on the podium with Menu or Reid.
Its racing career continued when its current owner bought it and began campaigning it successfully in historic touring car racing, including the Silverstone Classic.
Professionally-maintained, the car is not only significant and highly-collectable, but ready to race and equipped with a full set of Works spares and parts for racing.
Check out the full details over at Silverstone Auctions’ official website here. Their Race Retro & Classic Car Sale will be held on the 22nd of February, 2014, at Stoneleigh Park.
Images: Silverstone Auctions
Buy The Car That Dominated the 2000 BTCC is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Image: www.autopics.com.au via the Shannons Club
The Isuzu Bellett, in particular the 1.6-litre GT Coupe, is a pretty little car with looks that belie its impressive performance credentials. And in the early to mid ‘60s, it helped launch the career of an Aussie great – Colin Bond.
Bond’s efforts driving Belletts in rally and circuit club racing scored him bigger and better drives and set him on a path that ultimately made him an Australian motorsport legend. Isuzu Bellett: The club car that helped ‘Bondy’ become a superstar over at the Shannons Club tells the story.
Via the Shannons Club
Image: www.autopics.com.au
Isuzu Bellett: The club car that helped ‘Bondy’ become a superstar is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Eight incredible racing machines from the glory days of Japanese touring cars. These are the meanest machines the legend of JGTC had to offer.
The acronym JGTC stood for All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship, and it was one of the coolest touring car series the world has ever seen. Kicked off in 1993, the purpose of JGTC was to see highly modified production cars race as closely as possible for the entertainment of spectators. In order to do this, JGTC was set up with stern power restrictions and weight penalties for faster cars. As the series grew into it’s skin two classes were formed: GT300 and GT500, named after their 300ps and 500ps power limits respectively, which equates to just a shade less once converted to horsepower. With extremely low weight, wide track and huge tyres – these things were FAST!
The cars were successors in spirit to the flame-spitting Super Silhouette racers seen in the 1980s – JGTC cars were wide and low, with huge flares and massive wings – particularly the GT500 cars, which often featured F1 style air box intakes and all.
Although based on production versions of road going sports cars, JGTC builds were closer to fully fledged racing machines: center lock wheels, liquid cooled brakes, cramped cabins, recessed engines could be found, and carbon fibre was everywhere. For many fans of the series, it was (and still is!) the variety of engines amongst the field that made JGTC so interesting – although limited to a final power output, manufacturers were free to use different configurations of engine design and aspiration in order to achieve what they felt was a winning combo. Whilst the majority of the field were Japanese performance coupes, European hardware such as the McLaren F1 GTR, BMW M3, Porsche 911 and even Ferrari F40 made appearances.
During the 1990s and into the early 2000s, the rock-star status of the teams and drivers made their heroic profiles more comparable to Formula 1 than any other touring car series. The best drivers had it all – money, fame, fans and their pick of supermodel girlfriends.
In 2005 the series was renamed SuperGT, however with greats such as the Skyline GT-R, Toyota Supra and Honda NSX out of production, the series today lacks the same 1990s Japanese cool. These are eight unforgettable all time JGTC classics:
AUTOBACS Racing Team Honda NSX – 2001
Driven by Katsumoto Kaneishi and the legendary Keiichi Tsuchiya (aka the original king of drift), the ‘day glow’ orange of the GT500 ARTA NSX will never be forgotten, nor will the scream of its dry-sump V6 engine. One of the longest running teams, ARTA went on to win both the driver’s and constructors championships of Super GT in 2007.
Calsonic Nissan GT-R R32 – 1994
The oldest car to make our list, the Calsonic R32 GT-R is perhaps more frequently remembered for it’s campaign during the 1993 season with significantly milder aero, however it’s the big-winged 1994 incarnation that strikes the real 90s touring car chord with us. 1994 saw the first full length season of JGTC, and it was the Calsonic Nissan GT-R that came out on top, driven by Masahiko Kageyama ahead of contenders such as the Team Taisan Porsche 962C and Ferrari F40. Kageyama won the 1993 season in a Nismo version of the GT-R R32, and went on to win until 1996 when GT1 turned into GT500, and the McLaren F1 GT-R arrived.
HKS Mercedes Benz CLK – 2002
In 2002 the Japanese tuning house and parts manufacturer HKS entered the JGTC GT500 class with an unlikely chassis – a Mercedes Benz CLK. The car was powered by a M119 V8 measuring just under six litres, however without the direct support of Mercedes Benz themselves, the team struggled to develop a competitive and reliable car. The HKS CLK didn’t win at all, but it will forever be remembered as a truly awesome Japanese version of what a European DTM racer might have looked like, and a reminder of how truly exotic JGTC cars could be.
RS*R Nissan Silvia S14 – 1997 GT300
With flagship Japanese models such as the GT-R, NSX and European supercars headlining the GT500 class, GT300 saw a field of race cars built from more affordable sport car bases, and the Bandoh Racing Nissan Silvia is one of the most iconic. The car retained the original four-cylinder turbocharged engine, and was driven to overall victory in the 1997 GT300 season by Hideo Fukuyama and Japanese drifting legend Max Orido.
LARK McLaren F1 GTR – 1996
The first non-Japanese manufacturer car to win a JGTC championship was the LARK McLaren F1. Driven by Australian Formula 1 driver David Brabham and Danish John Nielsen, the LARK car edged out a similar McLaren F1 chassis driven by Ralf Schumacher and Naoki Hattori to win the 1996 series.
Pennzoil NISMO Skyline GT-R R33 – 1998
The Pennzoil NISMO Skyline GT-R burst onto the scene in 1998, grabbing attention by winning the first round of the season at Suzuka. History would see round 2 of JGTC in that year cancelled, however when round 3 (Sendai) rolled around, the Pennzoil GT-R was ready. Number 23 took the win, and went on to claim the championship for the year. The car was powered by a highly tuned version of the original RB26DETT engine found in the road going version, which had been borrowed from their Le Mans program and bumped to 2,708cc with great success. One of the most recognizable Japanese touring cars ever, the distinctly American livery looked incredible on the quintessentially Japanese lines of the GT-R and made the Pennzoil GT-R R33 absolutely unforgettable.
Xanavi NISMO Skyline GT-R R34 – 2003
The last time a factory backed Nissan Skyline GT-R would be seen in JGTC. 2003 saw a wave of new regulations unlock the ability for Nissan to replace the factory front and rear structures of their GT500 Skyline GT-R with tubular space frame, meaning that the cars became even wider, lower and faster than ever. With wider front tyres and the ability to fit a rear-mounted transaxle, a very serious racing machine was born. The final hurrah for the chassis was a big one, winning the 2003 season thanks to incredible consistency despite not actually claiming first place in a race.
Castrol TOM’S Toyota Supra – 1997
Without a doubt the most recognized car to emerge from the JGTC series would have to be the Castrol TOM’S Supra, which won the 1997 championship. The car arrived on the scene in 1997 featuring a revamped version of the 3S-based 4 cylinder turbocharged engine that Toyota had been campaigning in the WRC, as well as the incredible Castrol livery. It was a big, lumbering Japanese coupe with a tiny four-cylinder engine, and it knocked the McLaren F1 out of the park. Accompanied by a relatively affordable road-going version which wasn’t light on performance either, the Castrol TOM’S Supra is one of the most famous Japanese sports cars of all time.
Check out this clip from some of the early days of JGTC, 1994 (spot the Lancia 0037!):
The eight most iconic JGTC racing machines ever is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Does your garage have room for one more Ferrari Formula 1 machine?
An excellent example of the car which propelled Michele Alboreto to his best Formula 1 season, including several wins and second in the 1985 Formula 1 Drivers’ championship, and produced a second place finish in the constructors’ championship for Ferrari, this awesome Ferrari’s 156/85 is set to hit the auction blocks at Artcurial’s upcoming Salon Rétromobile sale.
This particular machine, chassis #086, came from Stefan Johansson’s side of the pits and was built during the mid-point of the season, which means that it features some of the modifications and improvements which Ferrari developed throughout the first half of the season. Its V6 releases 900 horses at full song in race-spec and would push beyond 1000 when let loose for qualifying.
#086 was Johansson’s ride for the European Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, where he had to drop out, as well as Kylami for the South African Grand Prix, in which he finished fourth, and was his reserve/testing car for the first ever Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix – the last event of the 1985 season.
The car comes with full certification from Ferrari Classiche, and received an engine rebuild in 2008.
You can hit this link for the full details over at Artcurial, and the car will be sold on the 7th of February at Rétromobile 2014 by Artcurial Motorcars.
Via Artcurial
Images via Artcurial
For Sale: 1985 Ferrari F1 156/85 is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Peugeot have been building racing cars for over 100 years. Taken between 1916 and 2013, these are nine of the best.
1997 Super Tourenwagen Cup 406
The 406 failed to make it big in BTCC, however it’s time spent in the Super Tourenwagen Cup was nothing short of impressive. Laurent Aiello was the man of the hour, placing third in the 1996 season and winning the 1997 Championship outright.
Marcus Gronholm’s 206 WRC
Built to exacting specifications for the purpose of winning the World Rally Championship from 1999, Marcus Gronholm’s fierce 206 WRC was a worthy successor to the legendary 205 before it. Initially campaigned with limited success in 1999, Marcus failed to complete a rally behind the wheel, whilst experienced team mate Gilles Panizzi managed to grab the 206s sole podium finish for the year in Italy. History would see the year 2000 to be a completely different story – Gronholm would steer the two-liter, four-cylinder twin cam turbo 206 to podium finishes in seven of the 11 rallies that he completed, including four outright wins. Marcus took the Driver’s Championship for the year, and Peugeot the Constructor’s – with the 206 achieving a whopping 13 podium finishes from 14 rallies. The 206 steered Peugeot to consecutive Manufacturer’s championship in 2001 and 2002, with the latter including a follow-up victory for Gronholm.
1916 Peugeot (IndyCar)
Did you know that Peugeot won the Indianapolis 500 in 1916? That’s right, 98 years ago the French brand took to the banks of Indy and crossed the line first, thanks to this very machine and Italian-born British driver Dario Resta. It gets better too, Peugeot actually won the Indy 500 in 1913 too, and the 1916 event goes on record as being the only ‘Indy 500′ to actually be run over less than 500 miles – limited to just 300 miles in length because organizers felt that it might make the race more exciting to spectators. What a story!
2013 Pikes Peak 208 T16
It’s got 875 horsepower, weighs 875kg and was built to go up a little hill called Pikes Peak as fast as humanly possible. Although here at Motorsport Retro we still struggle with the concept of a paved surface at Pikes Peak, there’s no denying the quality of the hardware which has been developed to tackle it. The 2013 208 T16 was built to be driven by WRC Champion Sebastien Loeb – capable of hitting 60mph in just 1.8 seconds, it smashed the previous “Unlimited Class” record by more than 1 minute and 30 seconds. It might be the youngest car to make this list, but this is one machine that has certainly earned its place.
Juha Kankkunen’s 1986 205 T16/E2 Group B
Juha Kankkunen grasped a lucky break in 1986 when the championship winning Peugeot team were looking for a driver to fill the spot of rally legend Ari Vatanen, who had been seriously injured in an accident during the previous season. The car he would drive would be the updated 1986 T16/E2, a machine which has since become an icon of the dearly missed days of Group B Rally. 26 year-old Juha won a WRC event for the first time in 1985, and behind the wheel of the 205 T16 was a force to be reckoned with – winning three rounds during the 1986 WRC season, and placing on the podium in an additional three. Peugeot took the manufacturer’s championship, and the rest is history.
2009 HDi 208 FAP
Peugeot returned to conquer Le Mans in 2007 with this turbo-diesel monster. It took the team until 2009 to win the big race itself, but between the cars debut in 2007 and retirement in 2010, it won 19 races from 28 starts – that’s a near 70% kill rate. The 1200Nm 5.5 litre V12 engine was constructed with a 100 degree angle, allowing more of the block and heads to be mounted closer to the ground, lowering the center of gravity.
1992 905B
The Peugeot 905 spent the majority of it’s time competing in the World Sportscar Championship season, however it is for its exploits at the 1992 and 1993 24 Hours of Le Mans that it is best remembered. The aggressive looking 905 went head-to-head with the works Toyota team under the 3.5L regulations of the time, winning first and third place in 1992, and first, second and third place in 1993! Peugeot were so content with their efforts that with the onset of 1993 and the news that the World Sportscar Championship as it was known would no longer exist, they opted to depart from the sport as dominant victors and focus upon supplying engines for Formula 1 – but not before taking first, second and third at Le Mans again for one last time with an updated ‘Evo’ model of the 905.
1988-1990 405 T16 Grand Raid
With the demise of Group B Rally, Peugeot turned it’s attention to Rally Raid – the crowning event being the infamous Paris Dakar, one of the toughest racing events on the planet. Peugeot came prepared, using everything they’re learned whilst rallying earlier in the 1980s to develop their existing Group B 205 T16 into a long distance, off road war machine. The 205 was developed for the tight circuits of the world rally circuit, and in order to adapt it to the open roads and long jumps of Rally Raid they extended the wheel base considerably. The result was that the chassis was now entirely too long to fit the 205 bodyshell, so a 405 coupe body was developed using the shell from a road-going 405, which was never actually sold as a two-door hardtop. The result was the 405 T16 Grand Raid, which used a larger 1.9L turbocharged version of the Group B engine and weighed just 880kg before fuel. It was famously stolen and found during the course of the 1988 event, before winning in 1989 with Ari Vatanen behind the wheel. It won again in 1990 with Vatanen, and afterwards Peugeot shifted their attention to Le Mans. The 405 T6 GR remains a legend.
1988-89 405 T16 Pikes peak
Of course Peugeot’s off-road interests in the late 1980s wasn’t limited to Paris Dakar, in fact it was the annual Pikes Peak rally upon which the company placed the most importance. The car was a 600hp, 4-wheel steer 405 with massive ground effects. Ari Vatanen was the star of the show, laying down a record with such ferocity in 1988 that it would not be beaten with all the technology in the world until six years later. Peugeot backed up the win in 1989 with an unbelievable performance by Robby Unser, who chased down team-mate Vatanen before taking the win when Ari momentarily lost control and had a collision. In the same year, the car became the star of the now legendary film “Climb Dance”, which remains a favorite to this day amongst anyone gear-heads everywhere.
During a later interview, Ari Vatanen spoke of the 405 T16 Pikes Peak: “Amongst the jewelry of competition cars, this one was a diamond. Like unique jewelry is only worn on rare occasions, the Pikes Peak car was only used to climb the hill once a year.”
The nine greatest Peugeot race & rally cars of all time is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
Nine cool cutaways showcase the complexity and timeless charm of the legendary GT40
The Ford GT40 continues to be remembered as one of the all time greatest racing cars, remembered by many in particular for it’s consecutive victories at the Le Mans 24 Hour between the years 1966 and 1969. We’re betting that the competition in the 1960s wish they could have seen what was under the skin of the GT40 and although they couldn’t, five decades later we can.
Enjoy these 9 cutaway images taken from various sources, each celebrating the complexity and charm of the GT40. There are a number of variants represented, how many can you name?
9 amazing Ford GT40 cutaways is a post from Motorsport Retro, bringing you classic motorsport, cars, motorcycles and gear every day.
