Peugeot Talbot Sport boss Jean Todt, now, of course, the President of the FIA, announced the marque’s intention to compete at Le Mans in a new V10-powered prototype, dubbed the 905, and in the 1991 World Sportscar Championship, the first for the new rules which allowed the effectively F1-engined cars.
The car was unveiled in February 1990 and was developed throughout the year, making its racing debut in the final two races of the 1990 World Sportscar Championship season (Montréal (pictured top) and Mexico).
The first racing success came in the 1991 season, in the first race of the championship at Suzuka.
That though was the last win before the late season races as the Peugeots were outpaced by the Jaguar XJR14.
There was a double retirement at Le Mans (above) before the 905s came on strong late in the season (The #6 car is pictured en route to a win at Magny Cours) after the introduction of the heavily-upgraded 905B, with two more race wins, but too late to snatch the Championship from Jaguar’s grasp!
Le Mans that year saw both cars entered suffer mechanical dramas and fail to finish.
In 1992 though, again with the 905B, the tide turned. Five out of six races in the FIA World Sportscar Championship fell to Peugeot including the marque’s first win at Le Mans with Derek Warwick, Yannick Dalmas, and Mark Blundell. Both the drivers´ and teams´ title at the World Sportscar Championship would go to Peugeot in 1992.
However, the World Championship folded at the end of 1992, which meant that the heavily-updated 905 Evolution 2, dubbed the ‘Supercopter’, with massively uprated aerodynamics, went testing but never raced.
The race-proven 905B would race only once more, at Le Mans once again in 1993, the factory team completing a podium sweep. The win was taken by Geoff Brabham, Christophe Bouchut, and Éric Hélary.
By the end of its lifetime the Peugeot 905 had participated in 17 races, and remarkably, won nine of them.
Peugeot meanwhile took their V10 powerplant to Formula One, undoubtedly where the rule-makers intended them to go in the first place, and stayed there for seven seasons with McLaren, Jordan and Prost.
The tradition of winning, built through the 905 programme, didn’t continue, with no wins to their credit before giving up the factory engine programme and switching to the World Rally Championship in the 2000s, which proved to be a happier hunting ground!
Le Mans meanwhile would still see and hear, Peugeot power, this time though it would be the privateer efforts of WR and Pescarolo Sport who would fly the flag, until the next time the factory turned their attention to the Great Race.
Peugeot 905 Results
1990
FIA World Sportscar Championship
480 km of Montreal
DNF #44 Keke Rosberg, Pierre Henri Raphanel Peugeot 905 22 laps
480 km of Mexico City
DNF #44 Keke Rosberg, Pierre Henri Raphanel Peugeot 905 101 laps
1991
Le Mans 24 Hours
DNF #6 Peugeot Talbot Sport Keke Rosberg, Pierre Henri Raphanel, Yannick Dalmas Peugeot 905 68 laps
DNF #5 Peugeot Talbot Sport Mauro Baldi, Jean-Pierre Jabouille, Philippe Alliot Peugeot 905 22 laps
FIA World Sportscar Championship
430 km of Suzuka
1st #5 Peugeot Talbot Sport Mauro Baldi, Philippe Alliot Peugeot 905 74 laps
DNF #6 Peugeot Talbot Sport Keke Rosberg, Yannick Dalmas Peugeot 905 36 laps
430 km of Monza
8th #5 Peugeot Talbot Sport Mauro Baldi, Philippe Alliot Peugeot 905 69 laps
DNF #6 Peugeot Talbot Sport Keke Rosberg, Yannick Dalmas Peugeot 905 64 laps
430 km of Silverstone
6th Peugeot Talbot Sport Mauro Baldi, Philippe Alliot Peugeot 905 78 laps
DNF #6 Peugeot Talbot Sport Keke Rosberg, Yannick Dalmas Peugeot 905 50 laps
430 km of Nurburgring
DNF #5 Peugeot Talbot Sport Mauro Baldi, Philippe Alliot Peugeot 905 56 laps
DNF #6 Peugeot Talbot Sport Keke Rosberg, Yannick Dalmas Peugeot 905 8 laps
430 km of Magny Cours
1st #6 Peugeot Talbot Sport Keke Rosberg, Yannick Dalmas Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 101 laps
2nd #5 Peugeot Talbot Sport Mauro Baldi, Philippe Alliot Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 101 laps
430 km of Mexico City
1st #6 Peugeot Talbot Sport Keke Rosberg, Yannick Dalmas Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 98 laps
2nd #5 Peugeot Talbot Sport Mauro Baldi, Philippe Alliot Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 97 laps
430 km of Autopolis
4th #5 Peugeot Talbot Sport Mauro Baldi, Philippe Alliot Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 92 laps
DNF #6 Peugeot Talbot Sport Keke Rosberg, Yannick Dalmas Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 20 laps
1992
Le Mans 24 Hours
1st #1 Peugeot Talbot Sport -Derek Warwick, Yannick Dalmas, Mark Blundell Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 352 laps
3rd #2 Peugeot Talbot Sport – Mauro Baldi, Jean-Pierre Jabouille, Philippe Alliot Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 345 laps
DNF #31 Peugeot Talbot Sport Alain Ferté, Eric van de Poele, Karl Wendlinger Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 208 laps
FIA World Sportscar Championship
500km of Monza
DNF #2 Peugeot Talbot Sport Mauro Baldi, Philippe Alliot Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 85 laps
DNF #1 Peugeot Talbot Sport Derek Warwick, Yannick Dalmas Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 39 laps
500 km of Silverstone
1st #1 Peugeot Talbot Sport Derek Warwick, Yannick Dalmas Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 96 laps
DNF #2 Peugeot Talbot Sport Mauro Baldi, Philippe Alliot Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 26 laps
500 km of Donington
1st #2 Peugeot Talbot Sport Mauro Baldi, Philippe Alliot Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 125 laps
2nd #1 Peugeot Talbot Sport Derek Warwick, Yannick Dalmas Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 125 laps
1000 km of Suzuka
1st #1 Peugeot Talbot Sport Derek Warwick, Yannick Dalmas Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 171 laps
3rd #2 Peugeot Talbot Sport Mauro Baldi, Philippe Alliot Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 163 laps
500 km of Magny Cours
1st #2 Peugeot Talbot Sport Mauro Baldi, Philippe Alliot Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 118 laps
2nd #71 Peugeot Talbot Sport Christophe Bouchut, Eric Helary Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 116 laps
5th #1 Peugeot Talbot Sport Derek Warwick, Yannick Dalmas Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 113 laps
1993
Le Mans 24 Hours
1st #3 Éric Hélary, Christophe Bouchut, Geoff Brabham – Peugeot 905 Evo 1B375 laps
2nd #1 Peugeot Talbot Sport – Thierry Boutsen, Yannick Dalmas, Teo Fabi Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 374 laps
3rd #2 Peugeot Talbot Sport – Philippe Alliot, Mauro Baldi, Jean-Pierre Jabouille Peugeot 905 Evo 1B 367 laps
