For Sale: 1984 Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Evolution 1 Group B

Images Copyright McKlein, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s

A beast from rally’s most intense and out there era, this 1984 Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Evolution 1 Group B is heading to auction at RM Sotheby’s’ Monaco sale.

Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 Group B rally car was amongst the later of the the Group B monsters, and versions of it would win both the ’85 and ’86 constructors’ titles.

This car, serial number C11, was built by Peugeot Talbot Sport for the 1985 World Rally Championship. ’81 World Champion Ari Vatanen would be its pilot, fresh off three consecutive wins in a Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 during the closing rounds of the 1984 season.

C11’s debut race would be the 53rd Rallye Monte Carlo with Vatanen at the wheel. He jumped into the lead and won the first stage, but would fall behind Walter Röhrl by the end of the first day.

The two champions would duke it out for much of the rally, but Vatanen was sublime in the fiercely competitive Peugeot and went on to win 21 of the 33 stages and take the victory with co-driver Terry Harryman.

For round 2, the championship moved to Sweden, with Ari Vatanen once more aboard C11. Stig Blomqvist took the first stage in his Audi Sport Quattro S1, but Vatanen would claim the lead at the end of the second stage and keep it through to the end.

Vatanen jumped back into C11 for the Portuguese Rally and would claim three stage victories before dropping his unbeaten run with a suspension failure and faulty flywheel sensor.

Sadly, C11 would be retired from Works competition after this race, although Vatanen did run it for the recce of the Tour de Corse, Acropolis Rally and Rallye Sanremo.

Timo Salonen, in one of C11’s sister cars, would rise to dominance as the season progressed, eventually claiming the Drivers’ title ahead of Stig Blomqvist, Walter Röhrl and Ari Vatanen. Peugeot would take both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles – a feat they would repeat in 1986, the final season of Group B competition.

This magnificent and storied machine will head to auction at RM Sotheby’s’ Monaco sale on the 14th of May, 2016. Head to the RM Sotheby’s’ site for more information.

Images Copyright McKlein, courtesy of RM Sotheby’s