Peugeot's return to Le Mans was the work of Jean Todt. Highly respected rally co-driver since the 1970s, he finally became head of the French manufacturer's sporting actitivies, called Peugeot Talbot Sport, in 1981.

After the World Rally Championship (from 1984 to 1986) then cross-country rally (four consecutive Dakar victories between 1987 and 1990), Peugeot Talbot Sport announced its intention to enter in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the fall of 1988.

In 1991, the French marque headed for Le Mans, with two Peugeot 905s. With its 3.5-liter V10 engine (similar to Formula 1 engines at the time), it instantly became a symbol of a new generation of prototype, right as the Group C regulations, in effect since 1982, were coming to an end. The car was designed by the engineer André de Cortanze, former driver with Alpine during the 1960s... whose father was Charles, one of the pioneers of the Peugeot 402 Darl'mat's adventure in 1937 and 1938.

Jean Todt brought together drivers from single-seaters for the most part, with a former F1 World Champion (the Finn Keke Rosberg), two Italians (Teo Fabi, pole position at the 1983 Indianapolis 500 in his first participation, and Mauro Baldi), several French drivers (Philippe Alliot, Yannick Dalmas, Pierre-Henri Raphanel) and another French driver nearly in his 50s at the time: in the mid-1970s, Jean-Pierre Jabouille was in charge of the development of the Renault turbocharged Formula 1 engine, and was one of the key players in the Renault-Alpine program at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (pole position in 1977).

In 1991, the two 905s were extremely popular and just as fast. Nonetheless they threw in the towel before nightfall, but for Jean Todt's men it was also about garnering the necessary experience to attain victory. Their dedication paid off on June 21, 1992: the two 905s claimed podium finishes with modified driver line-ups. Yannick Dalmas won, with Brits Derek Warwick and Mark Blundell, and the trio Alliot-Baldi-Jabouille finished third.

For Jean Todt, taking into account the power level shared between the two disciplines, the next step was to take Peugeot from the 24 Hours of Le Mans to F1, as a full constructor (chassis and engine). But in the spring of 1993, the powers-that-be at Peugeot denied the endeavor. Before looking to new horizons, Jean Todt bowed out of his long history with the French marque in stunning fashion. At the 1993 24 Hours of Le Mans, the three 905s secured a 1-2-3, with winners Geoff Brabham-Eric Helary-Christophe Bouchut (the last two debuting at the 24 Hours) ahead of Teo Fabi-Yannick Dalmas-Thierry Boutsen (second) and Alliot-Baldi-Jabouille (third).

Three weeks after that tremendous achievement, Jean Todt competed in the Formula Grand Prix of France at the Magny-Cours circuit in his new position as head of the Scuderia Ferrari outfit. After 11 world titles between 1999 and 2004, he was elected President of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) in 2009, a post he still holds today.

Peugeot finally joined F1 in 1994, but as an engine supplier. In the wake of his success at Le Mans in 1992, Yannick Dalmas became the poster child of endurance drivers of the 1990s, with three additional wins (1994, 1995 and 1999) which brought him to the level of the inimitable Henri Pescarolo among the most successful French drivers at the 24 Hours (note, he won in 1994 along with Mauro Baldi, another former Peugeot 905 driver). Today, Yannick Dalmas is the FIA driver advisorb in the World Endurance Championship (WEC).

Fifteen years after its first victory, Peugeot returned to Le Mans and began, up against Audi, a new chapter in the history of great duels at the 24 Hours. To be continued in the next installment of this saga!

Click below for the first installment in this series:

Peugeot at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (1): 1937-1939

Photo: Thanks to Yannick Dalmas, Derek Warwick and Mark Blundell, in 1992 Peugeot became the first French manufacturer to win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since Rondeau (1980), Renault-Alpine (1978) and Matra (1972-'73-'74).