Ari Vatanen won the 1989 Paris–Dakar Rally on a coin toss, but there was no denying his legend as the second of four crowns he could claim in just five years. Nearly four decades later, Team Dakar Classic NL is busy building their own replica of Vatanen’s Peugeot 405 T16 Grand Raid for the 2027 Dakar Classic.

The Peugeot 405 Turbo 16 was developed in 1988, with the Grand Raid model being used at the 1989 and 1990 Dakar Rallies while the base model won the 1988 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Vatanen’s Grand Raid is currently on display at the Musée de L’Aventure Peugeot, a museum located across the street from Peugeot’s factory in Sochaux.

Team Dakar Classic NL is a group of four led by driver Jan van Haandel and navigator Gerrit Heenck. A vintage kart racer who owns a body repair shop, van Haandel and his brother Ad have followed the Dakar since the inaugural race in 1979; Jan also has experience building trucks for overlanding in Africa. Heenck has also gone on expeditions in the Sahara. Also involved are Jan’s daughter Nicole as team manager and Jos Notermans as mechanic, the latter’s father having worked for DAF and alongside Team de Rooy.

The gang had been watching January’s Dakar Rally when a friend posted in their WhatsApp group a picture of a Jaguar Range Rover that raced the 2004 edition, which inspired them to try the Classic. While they thought of doing it in a truck, van Haandel wanted to race a Peugeot 405.

Since the 405 T16 is no longer built today and they couldn’t get their hands on Vatanen’s, they instead bought a Peugeot 405 Mi16 for conversion. They also received a Peugeot 309 from a donor to cut up. One of the major challenges the team faced was figuring out the engine placement since the 405 T16 Grand Raid’s motor was placed between the front seats and rotated 90°, and fitting that accordingly on the Mi16 meant having to fully replace the drivetrain.

Over the summer, van Haandel and Heenck visited the Musée de L’Aventure Peugeot to research Vatanen’s 405 and formally receive permission to build their replica. They also met with Dakar veterans Tim and Tom Coronel for tips on the race.

By October, the build was making good progress. After applying the sheet metal and polyester body, the team was able to put on a basic coat of white paint to emulate the livery on Vatanen’s car.

“After two years of talking and building, it’s finally happening,” the team stated. “Hopefully, everything goes according to plan, and Jan and Gerrit will start their first Dakar Classic in early January. What an adventure awaits the team! Expectations are high.

“The team’s goal is to finish the rally, but also to finish in the top five in the class they’re competing in. It’s an ambitious goal, but without ambition and courage, they say, you won’t get anywhere .”

Featured image credit: Team Dakar Classic NL