Overview
The Pininfarina-styled 504 Coupé evolved from Peugeot's rugged rear-drive 504 saloon but shared neither all of its body structure nor every rally engine. The 2.7-litre PRV V6 added power and a distinct engine sound to the long-distance African rally package; Peugeot also used four-cylinder 504 Ti saloons for important international victories. The 1975 Safari and Morocco wins credited to the saloon cannot be reassigned to this V6 Coupé.
The FIA historical catalogue identifies 504 Coupé V6 (504 C31/C33) Group 3 homologation 3069, effective 2 July 1975, with 2,664 cc and rear-wheel drive. Group 4 works cars used revised induction, gearing, safety and body protection, with an FIA fuel-injection extension listed only from April 1978. The V6 Coupé's 1978 Safari winning car was therefore competition-prepared and not necessarily identical to the road Group 3 baseline or the earlier 1976 Bandama car.
Peugeot itself distinguishes the 1976 504 V6 Coupé Bandama victory from the 1978 Safari and Ivory Coast WRC round victories. Timo Mäkinen/Henry Liddon won the 1976 Ivory Coast/Bandama event, which did not become a WRC manufacturers' round until 1978. Jean-Pierre Nicolas/Jean-Claude Lefebvre won the 1978 Safari, while Nicolas/Michel Gamet won the 1978 Ivory Coast and Timo Mäkinen/Jean Todt followed in second. The last win was the first WRC edition of that particular Ivory Coast event; earlier Bandama victories were significant non-WRC international results.