HISTORY
A century of competitions
Africa
Through the numerous successes reaped by the Brand in the African rallies, a love story has developed between Peugeot and the Dark Continent. Given their legendary reliability, the cars from Sochaux were made for these hellraising races, where the machines are subjected to terrible trials. An epic that covers three decades.
The Dantesque East African Safari, contested across three countries, Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika, was at the time considered one of the most select events in the world. The 404 proved itself there in 1961, the year in which it won in its class, then came close to victory the following year (second position), before coming first in 1963 with the crew formed by Zbigniew Nowicki and Paddy Cliff. No less than three consecutive victories were to follow, the first two by Bert Shankland and Chris Rothwell in 1966 and 1967, the last one being again to the credit of Nowicki and Cliff. In 1968 the latter two drivers ended the African exploits of the 404 before it passed the relay baton on to the 504.
Driven by Ove Anderson and Anne Herz, the 504 saloon came first in 1975 in the Safari Rally, the new name for the East African Safari. Three years later, Jean-Pierre Nicolas and Jean-Claude Lefèvre, at the wheel of the V6 coupe, whose beefed-up engine developed 225 hp, were to offer Peugeot a sixth victory in this event.
The 504 saloon would also express its qualities of ruggedness on a new field, the Bandama Rally, a famous event run in Ivory Coast. This contest, organised by a Frenchman, Jean-Claude Bertrand, aimed to rival with the Safari Rally. Bob Neyret won there in 1971. In 1974, Timo Mäkinen won over the Datsuns, before Peugeot triumphed the following year by taking the first three positions, with the victory of Bernard Consten. Another first three places in 1976, but this time with the V6 504 coupe — Timo Mäkinen ahead of Jean-Pierre Nicolas and Henri Pescarolo. Following these three consecutive victories, Jean-Pierre Nicolas and Jean-Claude Lefèvre were to win in 1978, while, for the first time, the Bandama was included in the World Rally Championship.
The 504 saloon would again be successful in the Morocco Rally, on two occasions: in 1975 with Hannu Mikkola and in 1976 with Jean-Pierre Nicolas.
Ten years later, the disappearance of the B Groups from the World Rally Championship led Peugeot to return to Africa to continue there, in the Rally-Raids, the legend of the 205 Turbo 16. The Grand Raid version was entered in the Paris-Dakar then at the height of its renown. Ari Vatanen came first on his first entry in 1987, just as in the Pharaohs Rally of Egypt.
There was drama in the 1988 Paris-Dakar, when Juha Kankkunen won on the 205 T16 after Vatanen had led the race on the 205's elder sister, the new 405 Turbo 16. The 405 would take its revenge by winning its first victory in the Rally of Tunisia. It would then snap up all the events remaining to be run on the Rally-Raid calendar. Another success in the 1989 Paris-Dakar, with Vatanen being declared the winner. He did it again the following year, with as a bonus the first three places for the 405, illustrating Peugeot's complete domination over four seasons of Rally-Raids. Eleven victories in eleven races!
The 405 T16 won again brilliantly in the Pikes Peak race in Colorado, USA. It claimed two victories in this mad sprint run on the edge of the void at an altitude of 4200 metres…