Javi Martin
Did you know The Peugeot 305 V6 Rally was the first option of the French company to count in Group B? It is true that no 305 V6 ever competed, but the car was manufactured and developed, just as the Ford Escort RS 1700T was manufactured and developed. In fact, both cars have similar stories, although the end of the French story is better than the end of the Yankees.
When the FIA announced the creation of Group B, with its permissive regulations, In Peugeot They were beginning to think about replacing the 504 in competition, a car that had been failing for 10 years in all kinds of championships. Thus, as it is popularly said, hunger combined with the desire to eat; Peugeot wanted to modernize and energize its image, and the FIA gave them a perfect excuse.
The Peugeot 305 was not exactly the French company's most exciting model. It was a robust and versatile car, but it did not arouse sensations. When the arrival of Group B was announced, the 305 had been on the market for three years and had received a media push through the new category of rallies It would be very good. However, it is fair to recognize that The 305 was the archetype of Peugeot in the late 70s: a conservative, robust and usable car, although, yes, designed by Pininfarina.
ATMOSPHERIC ENGINE, PROPULSION and ONLY 900 KILOS
When the commercialization of the Peugeot 305 began, Renault was introducing turbo technology in Formula 1 for the first time, an idea that raised a lot of expectation, but also all kinds of sarcastic comments, especially when the "youth" problems of the entire company began to arise. new technology. In those years, power was obtained based on cylinders and displacement, that is, based on large engines.. That's how they thought about Peugeot, because when they started the 305 V6 Rally project, they immediately opted for the V6 PRV - the engine developed by Peugeot, Renault and Volvo, remember.
Along with the adoption of the naturally aspirated V6 – the largest engine of the 305 was a 1,5 liter four-cylinder and 75 HP –, a reinforcement of the structure, a weight reduction and a whole series of modifications aimed at converting to the conventional and impersonal Peugeot 30 into a racing machine. To begin with, the engine was mounted in a more rearward and lower position for better weight distribution and lower gravity. Then, It was converted to propulsion – the 305 was front-wheel drive – and the body was hooked, which also had a multitude of elements made of aluminum and synthetic materials.
The engine, as expected, was not assembled as is. For competition, Peugeot Sport engineers managed to extract 253 HP, in charge of moving a group whose weight remained within the regulation limit: 900 Kilos. For the production version, since 200 examples would have to be manufactured to homologate the competition version, a power of 205 HP was projected.
THE PEUGEOT 305 V6 RALLY NEVER PASSED FROM A PROTOTYPE
The entire project was developed between 1981 and 1982, including Negotiations were reached with Heuliez to collaborate in the development and production of the production variant. A fully functional unit was manufactured and was presented with a white livery – iridescent, they said – with blue motifs and a yellow line that ran along the side from headlight to pilot. Everything was ready for his long position and, of course, winning races.
However, the project was stopped. The 200 homologation units were not manufactured and no more competition examples were manufactured. The reason? The appearance of the Peugeot 205, which became the spearhead of the company both in competition and in stores. What was learned and developed so far with the Peugeot 305 V6 Rally was used for the Peugeot 205 Tube16, a car that became a myth and won everything, from the Group B until Dakar Rally, passing through the Rallye Cross and hill races, where many units were seen after Peugeot retired the model.
As for the Peugeot 305 V6 Rally, The only unit that was manufactured is preserved in the brand's museum, although without that white livery with which it was presented, but painted in a nondescript silver gray color.
