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Peugeot has an eminent history in motorsport that stretches all the way from the early days of cars right through to its latest high-tech racers.
During its time, the French company has competed in every major motorsport arena - here’s our rundown of Peugeot’s best racing machinery.
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Peugeot Type 7
Peugeot got off to an early start in the world of motorsport with its Type 7 that won the world’s very first timed motor race. That was the 1895 Paris-Bordeaux-Paris Rally and, as well as first place, the company had two other cars in the top four finishers. The Type 7 was helped to victory by using the first inflatable tyres from Michelin.
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Peugeot L76
Peugeot built its first L76 Grand Prix car in 1911 and its career took off in 1912 with a win in the French GP. It won the same the race the following year before the company shifted its focus to the USA due to the outbreak of World War One in Europe. In the US, the L76 and its derivatives went on to lift the winner’s trophy at Indianapolis 1913, 1916 and 1919. In that time, power and performance steadily grew from the original L76’s 112bhp from its 4.4-litre four-cylinder engine.
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Peugeot 402 Darl’Mat
Emile Darl’Mat was the Peugeot dealer in Paris and he had a penchant for low-slung sports cars built on the chassis of more humble models. The 402 Darl’Mat Special Sport was an open-top roadster that competed at Le Mans in 1937-38. During its second attempt at the 24 Hours endurance race, the Darl’Mat came home fifth overall and won the 2.0-litre class.
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Peugeot 404
The East African Safari Rally was always reckoned to be the toughest in the world, so the Peugeot 404’s record here is mightily impressive. The 1.6-litre family saloon’s rugged build helped enormously and resulted in outright victories in 1963 and a hat-trick from 1966 to 1968. There were also class wins in 1962 and 1964, as well as the team prize in 1965. Just as impressive is 11 out of 12 404s entered in the 1967 event finished, taking five out of the top 10 places.
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Peugeot 504
One of Hannu Mikkola’s less well-known drives was in the Peugeot 504 saloon that he used to win the 1975 Rallye du Maroc, where his co-driver was some fellow called Jean Todt. Ove Andersson also used one to lift the trophy in the Safari Rally the same year. There were also wins for the V6-engined 504 Coupe on the Safari and Rallye Du Maroc in 1976 and 1978 respectively. Never the quickest car, the 504 won because its suspension could soak up terrible roads with ease.
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Peugeot 205 T16
Think Peugeot and rallying and most enthusiasts will have a 205 T16 in mind. It arrived in perfect time to dominate the final two years of the Group B era. Its mid-mounted 1.8-litre turbo engine made just 200bhp in road trim, but the rally versions came with 450bhp and as much as 600bhp for the final versions. Sixteen wins in the World Rally Championship and two Paris-Dakar victories sealed the 205 T16’s legendary status.
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Peugeot 405 T16
Double wins in the Paris-Dakar and Pikes Peak International Hill Climb were what the Peugeot 405 T16 was built for. Yet this car will always be remembered for its starring role alongside Ari Vatanen in the film Climb Dance when the Finn set a record time up Pikes Peak. With a powertrain derived from the 205 T16, Vatanen ascended in 10mins 47.22secs.
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Peugeot 905
Peugeot Sport was formed in 1981 under the watch of Jean Todt (yes, him again) and when it turned its attention to endurance racing, the 905 was the result. While victory in the World Sportscar Championship was the main goal and was achieved in 1992, the wins at Le Mans were always special to the French outfit. British drivers Derek Warwick and Mark Blundell joined Yannick Dalmas to come home first at La Sarthe in 1992 and the team went on to score a 1-2-3 in the following year’s Le Mans.
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Peugeot 306 Maxi
The 306 Maxi was born out of a new rally class that allowed Peugeot to make the most of its 306 GTi models. Running in the F2 Kit Car class, the Maxi had widened bodywork to accommodate the broader track and fat tyres. Under the bonnet, a screaming 280bhp normally aspirated 2.0-litre shrieked to 10,000rpm and drove the front wheels. Its finest hour came in the hands of Francois Delecour on the 1998 Tour de Corse where it finished second overall just behind Colin McRae’s four-wheel drive Subaru Impreza.
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Peugeot 406 Touring Car
The 405 never won a Touring Car race for Peugeot and the 406 looked like going the same way until Laurent Aiello got behind the wheel for the 1997 Super Tourenwagen Cup in Germany. He hustled the car to 11 victories that year to take the 406’s only championship in the category. Much of the 406’s poor performance in the British BTCC was attributed to the team not sharing data with their European counterparts and missing out on vital performance gains.
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Peugeot 206 WRC
Thirteen years after the 205 T16 retired, Peugeot returned to the top flight of rallying with the 206 WRC. The front-engined 2.0-litre engine powered all four wheels and made its debut with Gilles Panizzi at the wheel. He drove the 206 WRC to seven of its 24 World Rally Championship victories, but it was Finn Marcus Gronholm who was most associated with this car. He lifted the Driver’s Championship in 2000 and 2002 with the Peugeot and helped the team to a trio of team prizes between those years.
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Peugeot 307 WRC
The 307 WRC is notable for being the only convertible to compete in the modern era of World Rally Championship competition. It used the same drivetrain as its successful 206 WRC predecessor, but was plagued by gearbox problems. Wins proved elusive and Marcus Gronholm scored only three first places between 2004 and 2005.
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Peugeot 207 S2000
Peugeot Sport came up with the 207 S2000 in 2007 to move into the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and away from the WRC. Success was instant for the all-wheel drive, 2.0-litre car as it won the first of three titles in a row. The final championship win was with Brit Kris Meeke at the wheel, who helped take the 207 S2000 to a final tally of 23 wins in the IRC.
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Peugeot 908 HDi FAP
In the past 20 years, Peugeot is the only team to have broken the dominance of the Germans at Le Mans with the 908 HDi FAP. It’s 5.5-litre V12 turbodiesel produced 730bhp and 890lb ft of torque, which was enough to see off the Audis at the 2009 24 Hours race. The 908 also took top honours in the 2007 European Le Mans Series with three wins out of six races.
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Peugeot 208 T16
Peugeot has considerable form at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, so expectations were high for the 208 T16 and driver Sebastien Loeb in 2013. They didn’t disappoint. Using the mid-mounted 3.2-litre V6’s 875bhp to full effect, Loeb stormed the Colorado course in a best ever 8mins 13.878secs in the Unlimited Class. As well as using the turbocharger from the 908 Le Mans racer, this T16 also borrowed the 908’s brakes, suspension and rear wing.
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Peugeot 2008 DKR
The lure of the Dakar Rally is always strong for French car companies and Peugeot is no exception. This is why it returned to the worlds toughest rally in 2015 with the 2008 DKR. Running on 37-inch tyres and suspension with 460mm of travel, the 2008 is designed to soak up arduous terrain. The 360bhp V6 turbodiesel sends power to the rear wheels only, which makes the car lighter and allows it alter tyre pressures on the move. This all came together in 2016 with an outright win with Stefane Peterhansel driving.
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Peugeot 208 WRX
It might look like its supermini sisters, but the 208 WRX takes just two seconds to get from nought to 60mph. Built for the World Rallycross Championship, it distils all of Peugeot’s rally and off-road know-how into a 600bhp, 2.0-litre racer. All-wheel drive provides the grip, while Ohlins suspension deals with variable surfaces. The 2015 Team Championship proved the success of this car.
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Peugeot 3008 DKR
This 3008 is not like the one you can buy in showrooms, but then it had to cope with 5400 miles of rock, sand and altitude in the 2017 Dakar Rally. The 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel is the same engine as in the 2008 DKR but is 20bhp down at 340bhp due to new air restrictor regulations. Power goes to the rear wheels and top speed is 124mph. All of this was enough to earn the 3008 DKR a perfect 1-2-3 finish.
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