Ok, so the 3.5-litre era pretty much brought down the World Sportscar Championship and caused the end of one of the golden eras of endurance racing... but on the upside, without it we'd never have had the glorious V10 wail of the Peugeot 905. A wail which would translate to Formula 1 during the high-revving age that was the '90s and early-'00s.
Indeed it was escalating costs, coupled with the sheer dominance of the car that Peugeot engine powered (the iconic 905) that brought about the swift demise of said competition back in 1992. The 905 won Le Mans twice in a row and then Peugeot toddled off to try its hand at building F1 engines – which would eventually see them slink away from all motorsport until their return to Le Mans with the 908 in the late '00s.
Today the 905 is a rare but wonderful sight (and sound). Here we find it enjoying a run out at a race track that's equally as special as the car – the wonderful Spa Francorchamps. Thanks to our friends at Historic Racing HD we can hear that V10 being fired up, before the car heads out on track to showcase the wonderful aural treat that is a 3.5-litre sportscar hammering its way through Eau Rouge.
Modern sportscars are humongously impressive and there's barely a comparison could be made between the two in terms of performance – but that V10 makes us ever so slightly mournful for the loss of a screaming engine.
Peugeot
905
Group C
Historic Racing HD