How the Peugeot 505 saved Aston Martin's Vantage

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In the world of high-performance automobiles, it's not uncommon for exotic cars to share components or ideas with their more mundane counterparts. While tales of Lamborghinis borrowing headlights or Jaguars sharing taillights are not unheard of, this story of how the unassuming Peugeot 505 played a pivotal role in the creation of the Aston Martin Vantage stands out as a unique example of lateral thinking and resourcefulness.
This intriguing episode hails from the recollections of Steve Edwards, an engineering student apprentice at Aston Martin in 1993. It was during the development phase of what would eventually become the V8 Vantage, based on the Virage platform, that the engineering team encountered a formidable challenge. The prototype they were working on was generating such prodigious levels of torque that it repeatedly caused the differential to disengage from its rear hangers-an issue that demanded immediate resolution.
To grasp the magnitude of the problem, it's worth revisiting the numbers. The Vantage inherited the Virage's 5.3-liter V8 engine and elevated its performance by adding a pair of superchargers. Yes you hear correctly open the hood and you would be greeted by not 1 but 2 superchargers. This resulted in an astonishing 550 horsepower (410 kW / 558 PS) and a massive 555 lb-ft (752 Nm) of torque at 4,000 rpm-figures that were remarkable for the time and remain impressive even by modern standards.
The conundrum faced by the engineering team was clear: they needed a solution to handle this exceptional torque. It was their lead engineer who proposed the use of a torque tube-a component that could effectively address the problem. However, finding a torque tube was easier said than done, as this technology had become increasingly rare by the early 1990s. You see torque tubes where used in older cars and most newer cars feutured a Hotchkiss drive system.
But the torque tube was still in use in some automobiles, and the Chevrolet Corvette was known for its use of a torque tube to transmit power. However, locating a brand-new American sportscar in a British scrap yard was a challenging proposition. But, as fate would have it, there was a car model that still employed a torque tube setup-a car far more likely to be found in a breaker's yard: the Peugeot 505.
The Peugeot 505 was the last rear-wheel-drive car produced by the French automaker and represented the culmination of a long lineage of dependable vehicles, tracing its roots back to the iconic 203 and 404. Although it faced stiff competition in the West, particularly from the BMW E30, the 505 enjoyed a stellar reputation in regions like Africa, where its rugged performance in demanding terrains earned it a devoted following. This resilience was attributed to Peugeot's enduring design philosophy, which continued to incorporate the more robust torque-tube setup.
As an 18-year-old engineering apprentice, Steve Edwards embarked on a mission to source a torque tube from a Peugeot 505. After a series of phone calls, he made his way to a London-based breakers yard known as Three Arches in a blue Ford Sierra estate. There, he acquired a differential and prop shaft assembly salvaged from a V6 505 Estate.
With the crucial component in hand, the team of 12 engineers embarked on the challenging task of integrating the torque tube into the Vantage. This endeavor necessitated substantial cutting, modification, and meticulous balancing. The results were nothing short of impressive-it solved the torque-related issues in the prototype. However, as Edwards recalls, the splines on the driveshaft began to wear out, as the Peugeot 505 was not originally designed to handle the staggering 550 horsepower and 555 lb-ft of torque. Reviews of the pilot car noted some transmission lash. Despite this setback, the experiment validated the concept, paving the way for the development of a production-friendly torque tube setup.
This is such a cool piece of automotive history. This story of how a discarded Peugeot 505 played a pivotal role in the development of an Aston Martin Vantage. I mean to think without this car - this would never have realised.
#astonmartin #V8 #Twincharged

[@user-gl1uk9uc9o]

LOVED it. My Dad used to own a silver Peugeot 505 and last weekend I was looking over a mint Vantage 600 without ever realizing there was a connection. More videos like this one please!

[@wevans2084]

great story 👍

[@rjung_ch]

👍💪✌️
Peugeot, how funny that happened.

[@Deanyfromtheburgh]

There was no 505 V6 estate, highest model was 2.2 GTI

[@derJackistweg]

nonsens