WM P86
The WM P86 was a Group C sports car that was developed by Welter Racing in 1986 and was used in sports car races until 1987.
Development history
The WM P86 was one of the fast racing car prototypes that Gérard Welter developed in the 1980s with financial support from Peugeot and entered and used in the Le Mans 24-hour race . The type designation at Welter was simple. The W stood for Gérard Welter himself, the M for the founding member Michel Meunier. P86 stands for prototypes and the year abbreviation that indicated the year the racing car was developed. The P86 was the successor to the P85and was only slightly changed compared to this racing car. For aerodynamic reasons, the rear wheel arches of this Welter prototype were completely covered; When changing tires, the covers could be folded up so that there was hardly any loss of time during pit stops. As a Peugeot designer, Gérard Welter had access to the Peugeot wind tunnel, which he used extensively to give the car an optimized body.
The connection to Peugeot was mainly defined by the engine. The PRV engine originally developed for series production was adapted for racing. The only DOHC engines in this series ran in the Welter car . In 1986 the 2.8-liter V6 turbo engine developed around 550 hp.
Only one chassis was built from the P86.
Racing history
The P86 was only used twice, in 1986 and 1987 in the Le Mans 24-hour race. In 1986, Jean-Daniel Raulet , Michel Pignard and François Migault drove the car with starting number 41, which was registered in the C1 class and which failed after 132 laps due to engine failure. A year later, Welter competed with the driver trio Raulet, Migault and Pascal Pessiot . The car broke down again, again due to an engine failure.