Ligier

Ligier Group is a French automobile brand created by former driver Guy Ligier. Today it is a company specialized in the manufacture of all types of driverless vehicles, with production centralized in France and commercial presence in 11 European countries. Ligier is known for its participation as a team in the Formula 1 world championship between 1976. and 1996.

History

The firm entered the automobile market with the Ligier JS 2: a sports car considered by many to be a very well-designed car initially powered by a Maserati V6 engine and with a final model with a Citroën SM engine. Both produced at the Ligier factory in Vichy.

In 1973, due to the energy crisis, sales of the JS 2 decreased drastically, causing Ligier to cease production of sports cars and convert to manufacturing microcars.

Resistance

Ligier competed with sport prototypes from 1970 to 1975. It won victories in French competitions, highlighting the 1974 Automobile Tour de France, and obtained second place in the 1975 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In 2014, the manufacturer Onroak launched a sports prototype of the LMP2 class called Ligier JS P2.

Formula 1

The firm is best known worldwide due to its time in Formula 1. Ligier entered this championship in 1976 after the disappearance of the Safir team in the 1976 preseason. Ligier in its beginnings was a competitive single-seater, with a car with a Matra V12 engine with which he managed to win a grand prix the following year with Jacques Laffite driving.

The team lasted until 1996, with 9 victories, the last one standing out in the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix with Oliver Panis. The team would be bought by former F1 driver Alain Prost, renamed Prost Grand Prix.

CART

The team had a brief stint in CART in the 1980s. At the request of the Curb Racing team, the Gauls built the Ligier LC02, which was based on the 1983 Ligier JS21 that featured the Cosworth DFX engine. Curiously, it did not carry the "JS" nomenclature unlike all Ligier models. The car ran some races in the 1984 IndyCar season but the car was not competitive, and has the distinction of being the car with the fewest laps run in IndyCar. After failing to qualify with the Ligier for the Indianapolis 500, the team decided to purchase an Eagle to replace the Ligier.

Models

The Ligier model line currently consists of the Ixo microcar line, the X-Pro line of small commercial vehicles and two Be Up/Be roadster-type open vehicle lines. The company also produces a line of Be Pro, Be Four and Be Truck quads and all-terrain vehicles. Ixo or Ambra are about eight feet long, have two seats and a front engine. The engines include 2 cylinder four-stroke diesel engines of around half a liter displacement and electric motors.