The Peugeot 905 was born in 1990, a time cylinder-count and revs were still the solution to all-out speed. Raced in the World SportsCar Championship through 1993, it remains one of the best-sounding V-10-powered race cars we’ve ever heard.
The SA35, as the engine was called internally, was designed in-house by Peugeot for Group C competition. It displaced 3.5 liters and made around 650 horsepower at 12,500 rpm (though redline was a bit over 14,000). That explains the noise, then.
Paired to a six-speed sequential and mounted into a carbon-fiber monocoque, the 905’s SA35 took Peugeot to new heights in the racing world, achieving nine wins in 17 races—a success rate greater than 50 percent. Two of those wins happened at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in 1992 and 1993.
The V-10 sounds just as good now as it did back then. Robbert Alblas on YouTube managed to get some in-cabin footage from a 905 running at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium during a recent event, giving us a front-row seat to the glorious noise. Driver Erik Maris doesn’t seem to be going easy on the car, either, despite its exceptional provenance.
Formula 1 V-10s aside, this might be the greatest racing 10-cylinder we’ve heard. Disagree? Let us know your favorites in the comments below.
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