The disappointing 1983 and 1984 seasons, during which the Ligier team collected only 3 points in 31 races, with a fifth and sixth place from De Cesaris in 1984, seem like a distant memory for team owner Guy Ligier. Thanks to the return of Laffite to the team, and to a partnership with Renault for the use of the French V6 turbo engine, the team from Abrest, a tiny town in central France, found its way again in 1985, after losing momentum following its late-'70s heyday. Starting from the already solid car used in 1985, technical director Michel Tétu, under whose supervision designers Claude Galopin and Michel Beaujon as well as chief aerodynamicist Henri Durand worked, developed the new Ligier JS27.
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| LIGIER JS27, René Arnoux Brands Hatch, British GP 1986 |
The new single-seater was essentially a simple reworking of the previous JS25, adapted to the new regulations which mandated a maximum fuel tank capacity of 195 liters, in order to reduce consumption and consequently engine power. The designers’ efforts led to a car with more refined and sophisticated aerodynamics, made possible by the lower positioning of the fuel tank. Extensive work was also done on the mechanical side, lightening the structure and improving the performance of the Renault Turbo engine.
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| LIGIER JS27, Jaques Laffite Jacarepaguà, Brazilian GP 1986 |
Once again this year, the Ligiers benefited from a semi-official supply of the French V6, updated to the latest 15B customer specification, maintained by Mecachrome and not officially supported directly by the parent company as with the units supplied to Lotus. All in all, the JS27 can be considered an excellent car, perhaps the best Ligier ever, aside from the golden years from 1979 to 1981.
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| LIGIER JS27, Jaques Laffite Brands Hatch, British GP 1986 |
The two drivers for the 1986 season were Frenchman René Arnoux, returning to a French team after his still-unexplained split with Ferrari, and veteran Jacques Laffite, whose career had always been closely tied to the Ligier brand. In the first half of the championship, the two French drivers strung together a series of strong results, placing the French team in fourth position in the standings by mid-season. Unfortunately, at the start of the British Grand Prix held at Brands Hatch, Laffite was seriously injured in a crash, sustaining severe leg injuries that forced him to end his career. At 42, he was the oldest active driver in the 1986 Formula 1 World Championship, with 180 Grands Prix, 6 victories, 32 podiums, 7 pole positions, and 7 fastest laps to his name.
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| LIGIER JS27, Philippe Alliot Monza, Italian GP 1986 |
Laffite’s injury was a heavy blow for the French team, and the results suffered as well. In the second half of the season, only Philippe Alliot, called in to replace Laffite, managed to score a single point, while Arnoux seemed lost after his teammate’s accident. After securing two fourth-place finishes in Britain and Germany, he failed to score any more points. Despite this, Équipe Ligier finished the season in fifth place, with 2 podiums and 29 points, what would remain its last competitive season before a long drought, only broken in 1993 when Ligier returned to the podium.
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