WM P83
The WM P83 was a sports car prototype that was used by Welter Racing at the Le Mans 24-hour race from 1983 to 1986 .
The WM P83 was developed by Welter in 1983 so that the prototype could take part in the Le Mans 24-hour race that same year . The chassis was already based on the monocoque design and the body was pulled far down over the rear wheels, a typical feature of Welter racing cars. Gérard Welter , who worked as an aerodynamicist and vehicle designer at Peugeot , was able to fall back on wind tunnel tests. A mighty rear wing provided the necessary contact pressure on the rear axle. The P83 was powered by a 2.8-liter, 6-cylinder Peugeot turbo engine that developed just under 420 hp.
Two cars were used in Le Mans, which achieved positions 17 and 18 in training. In the car with the starting number 9 sat the Belgian Didier Theys and in the car with the number 10 next to Pascal Fabre - who drove for AGS in Formula 1 in 1987 - the Welter regular driver Roger Dorchy . For the Theys car, the end of the race came after 102 laps. The Peugeot engine had run so hot that it could not be started after a pit stop. The team also had to struggle with an overheated engine in the second car, but after a few unscheduled pit stops, the team reached 16th place overall.
In 1984 the vehicles were revised and used as the WM P83B in Le Mans until 1986 . The rear end became wider, while the covers of the rear wheels were retained. In the 1984 24-hour race , Roger Dorchy surprisingly took the lead from eighth on the grid. It was the first time that a Welter racing car took the lead at Le Mans. However, it only took one lap before Dorchy was pushed back from first place. In 1984 both vehicles failed. In 1985 the car with the number 42 - in which the former Le Mans winner Jean Rondeau was also at the wheel - finished 17th in the overall standings, while the second car was disqualified and the third car had an accident.
1986 was the last Le Mans year for the P83. At the same time, the P86 was already being used and the P83 was therefore no longer developed, which was also reflected in the disappointing 34th starting position. The trio Roger Dorchy / Claude Haldi / Pascal Pessiot reached twelfth place overall at the end of the race.