1985 season — Peugeot takes over
In 1985 the 205 Turbo 16 contested its first full season, and the rest of the field had no answer. Peugeot won seven of the twelve world rallies. But the year also revealed the dark side of Group B.
Episode 3 — The Peugeot Revolution: 205 Turbo 16, Todt & Vatanen (1984–85)
Peugeot’s breakthrough, the death of Attilio Bettega and Vatanen’s crash in Argentina.
Vatanen starts as favourite
Ari Vatanen began the year as if the title were already his. In Monte Carlo he was handed an eight-minute penalty because co-driver Terry Harryman had checked in early at a time control. Vatanen simply clawed the time back on snow and ice and still won, ahead of Röhrl in the Sport Quattro. A fortnight later he won again in Sweden. Team-mate Timo Salonen then won in Portugal.
In Kenya the Safari went to Juha Kankkunen in the Toyota Celica TCT — his first world rally win — ahead of team-mate Waldegård.
The 1985 season, round by round
Corsica: the death of Attilio Bettega
On 2 May 1985, on the fourth special stage of the Tour de Corse (Zerubia), Attilio Bettega’s Lancia 037 left the road and hit a tree on the driver’s side. Bettega was killed instantly; co-driver Maurizio Perissinot was unhurt. Lancia withdrew its other cars. The rally was won by Jean Ragnotti in the Renault 5 Maxi Turbo, with Bruno Saby second in the new 205 T16 E2. More under Attilio Bettega.
Seven wins for the 205 T16, five for Timo Salonen and Peugeot’s first titles. But also the year of Bettega’s death and Vatanen’s terrible crash.
Salonen takes the baton
Salonen won the Acropolis, New Zealand and Argentina. In Argentina, Vatanen crashed heavily: his 205 T16 E2 somersaulted at high speed. The roll cage held, but the seat mounting failed and Vatanen suffered serious injuries. He was airlifted out and would not return to the World Championship until 1987. See Ari Vatanen.
Salonen also won the 1000 Lakes and, with five victories, was world champion by a distance. Peugeot won its first manufacturers’ title, ahead of Audi and Lancia.
Audi’s last Group B win
Audi now had the Sport Quattro S1 (E2), with large wings and power that Audi quoted at around 470 hp and that later specifications, according to various sources, pushed beyond 500 hp. On the asphalt of Sanremo Röhrl made it count and won — it would prove to be Audi’s last world championship victory in Group B.
Two debuts on the RAC
The final round in Britain was a preview of 1986. Lancia brought the new Delta S4 and Henri Toivonen won straight away, with Markku Alén second. Behind them Tony Pond finished third in the MG Metro 6R4 — also on its debut.
Other notable results
- Mazda on the podium. Ingvar Carlsson finished third on the Acropolis in the RX-7 of Mazda Rally Team Europe.
- A Formula 1 driver on the podium. Former F1 driver Carlos Reutemann finished third in Argentina in a 205 T16 E2.
- Toyota’s African speciality. Kankkunen also won the Ivory Coast, again ahead of Waldegård.
- Toivonen nearly paralysed. Early in 1985 Henri Toivonen broke vertebrae in his neck on the Rally Costa Smeralda (European championship) and missed a large part of the season.
All winners and podiums 1985
| Rd. | Rally | Winner | Car | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monte Carlo Rally | Ari Vatanen Terry Harryman | Peugeot 205 T16 | Walter Röhrl Audi Sport Quattro | Timo Salonen Peugeot 205 T16 |
| 2 | Swedish Rally | Ari Vatanen Terry Harryman | Peugeot 205 T16 | Stig Blomqvist Audi Sport Quattro | Timo Salonen Peugeot 205 T16 |
| 3 | Rally de Portugal | Timo Salonen Seppo Harjanne | Peugeot 205 T16 | Miki Biasion Lancia 037 Rally evo | Walter Röhrl Audi Sport Quattro |
| 4 | Safari Rally (Kenya) | Juha Kankkunen Fred Gallagher | Toyota Celica TCT | Björn Waldegård Toyota Celica TCT | Mike Kirkland Nissan 240RS |
| 5 | Tour de Corse | Jean Ragnotti Pierre Thimonier | Renault R5 Maxi Turbo | Bruno Saby Peugeot 205 T16 E2 | Bernard Béguin Porsche 911 SC |
| 6 | Acropolis Rally (Greece) | Timo Salonen Seppo Harjanne | Peugeot 205 T16 | Stig Blomqvist Audi Sport Quattro | Ingvar Carlsson Mazda RX-7 |
| 7 | Rally New Zealand | Timo Salonen Seppo Harjanne | Peugeot 205 T16 E2 | Ari Vatanen Peugeot 205 T16 E2 | Walter Röhrl Audi Sport Quattro |
| 8 | Rally Argentina | Timo Salonen Seppo Harjanne | Peugeot 205 T16 E2 | Wilfred Wiedner Audi Quattro A2 | Carlos Reutemann Peugeot 205 T16 E2 |
| 9 | 1000 Lakes Rally (Finland) | Timo Salonen Seppo Harjanne | Peugeot 205 T16 E2 | Stig Blomqvist Audi Sport Quattro S1 | Markku Alén Lancia 037 Rally evo |
| 10 | Rallye Sanremo | Walter Röhrl Christian Geistdörfer | Audi Sport Quattro S1 | Timo Salonen Peugeot 205 T16 E2 | Henri Toivonen Lancia 037 Rally evo |
| 11 | Ivory Coast Rally | Juha Kankkunen Fred Gallagher | Toyota Celica TCT | Björn Waldegård Toyota Celica TCT | Alain Ambrosino Nissan 240RS |
| 12 | RAC Rally (Great Britain) | Henri Toivonen Neil Wilson | Lancia Delta S4 | Markku Alén Lancia Delta S4 | Tony Pond MG Metro 6R4 |
Final drivers’ standings (top 6)
| Pos. | Driver | Points | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Timo Salonen | 127 | – | – |
| 2 | Stig Blomqvist | 75 | – | – |
| 3 | Walter Röhrl | 59 | – | – |
| 4 | Ari Vatanen | 55 | – | – |
| 5 | Juha Kankkunen | 48 | – | – |
| 6 | Henri Toivonen | 48 | – | – |
We could not confirm the 1985 manufacturers’ points totals from two independent sources. The order is certain: Peugeot champions, ahead of Audi and Lancia.
Continue to 1986 or go back to 1984.
In pictures 2 photos
More from Seasons
Sources
- Wikipedia (EN), 1985 World Rally Championship — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_World_Rally_Championship
- eWRC-results, 1985 season — https://www.ewrc-results.com/season/1985/
- Wikipedia (EN), Attilio Bettega — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attilio_Bettega
- Wikipedia (EN), Ari Vatanen — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ari_Vatanen
All text is original writing for Grouve Sports Management Group, based on the sources above. Facts checked on 21 October 2026.
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