Background
Milestones
1973
Founded in 1973 in Valence as a small craft business, Pipo Moteurs initially focused on the preparation and assemblyas well as teh maintenance of Formula 2 engines: Cosworth, Hart and B.M.W., then commonly used by the best pilots taking part in the French and European mountain championships.
1978
From 1978 onwards, Pipo Moteurs began working with a number of major French and European teams, including AGS, BP Racing, CiBiEmme, Garage Mirabeau, Oreca, Prodrive, SDA Sport and Schnitzer BMW.
1983
In 1983, Pipo Moteurs signed an agreement with B.M.W. France to prepare a series of engines for touring circuit racing and ice racing.
1990
The company moved to Guilherand-Granges in 1990, on the site it occupies today. It has an on-site Foucault current test bench. A design office is created. The workforce consists of 6 people.
1994
Jean-Pierre Jabouille, Technical Director of Peugeot Sport, contacts Pipo Moteurs and entrusts them with the development of the engine to power the 405 Mi 16 entered in the French Super Touring Championship. The workforce grows to 15, and a second test bench is commissioned.
At the end of the season, Peugeot wins the championship.
1995
In 1995, a new entry in the French Super Touring Championship and the launch of the engine study which would equip the “diabolical” 306 Maxi, twice French rally champion in 1996 and 1997.
1997
In 1997, Peugeot won the hotly contested German Super Touring Championship (STW) with Laurent Aïello at the wheel of a 406, powered by Pipo Moteurs.
1998
The company’s growth accelerates, as Pipo Moteurs is entrusted with the design, development and manufacture of an all-new turbocharged engine for the 206 WRC, which the PSA Group has decided to enter in the World Rally Championship. The design office is expanded to include two workstations dedicated to CAD. A third test bench is commissioned. It integrates all the control and data acquisition resources required for perfect project management. The workforce is 25 people.
1999
1999 was devoted to chassis and engine development for the 206 WRC, which took part in just six World Championship events. The company now employs 28 people.
2001
In 2001, to ensure the manufacture of engines for the official team and for private French and European teams, to continue the development of the current engine and to prepare for the production launch of the new engine that will replace it in 2003, the covered area was increased from 1,000 to 1,500 m2. It counts 800 m2 of assembly workshops. A fourth air-conditioned, humidity-controlled test bench is under construction.
2002
Construction of the fourth test bed was completed at the end of the year.
2004
2004 and 2005 saw the birth of the 307 WRC, which achieved few successes, with just 3 world championship wins, despite its engine being recognized by drivers and journalists as the benchmark of the moment.
At the end of 2004, Peugeot Sport announced its withdrawal from the WRC championship for the end of 2005.
2005
Pipo Moteurs has been contacted by Malcom Wilson and Christian Loriaux to develop the engine for the new Ford Focus WRC, which will make its first official appearance at the last rally of the 2005 season, in Australia…
2005 will be a year of learning for the Ardèche-based company, thanks to a historic collaboration with a team that until then had been 100% British, leaving Cosworth to join Pipo Moteurs.
2010
2010 sees the launch of the Ford Fiesta S2000 with a naturally-aspirated 2.0L engine designed and developed by Pipo Moteurs.
Mikko Hirvonen’s first appearance on the Rallye Monte Carlo was a big success.
Around 50 of these engines were manufactured for MSport in 2010.
2011
In 2011, the Ford Fiesta WRC is launched. The new regulations require a direct-injection 1600 turbo engine. The Pipo Moteurs team developed this project with a great deal of work carried out, particularly from a combustion point of view. Unlike the other projects Pipo Moteurs had been involved in up to that point, there was no obligation to start from an original cylinder head. This new generation of engines is equipped with a cylinder head designed entirely by Pipo Moteurs.
2012
Pipo Moteurs is developing a mass-produced dry-sump block for homologation in 2013.
Pipo Moteurs now has its own complete engine ‘made in Ardèche’…
Pipo Moteurs also equips Ken Block’s Ford Fiesta, which takes part in the American rally-cross and rally championships, as well as the X-Games. This engine develops over 590hp and 900N.m of torque…
2013
In 2013, Pipo Moteurs began a collaboration with Hyundai Motorsport to develop the engine for the i20 WRC.
The twin-turbo V8 engine of the Bentley Continental racing in the GT3 championship was born in the workshops of Pipo Moteurs.
2014
In 2014, Hyundai made its debut in the WRC World Championship with good results, including a one-two finish at Rally Germany.
The Ardèche-based firm also equips Petter Solberg’s DS3, which won the FIA WRX World Championship.
2015
In 2015, development continues on the Hyundai WRC’s engine, with a mass-produced block and cylinder head assembly already on the test track.
Petter Solberg renews his confidence and wins the FIA WRX Championship for the second time.
In the United States, Ken Block and his Hoonigan Racing team are still among the best in the GRC championship. Two other teams now have Pipo engines: Bryan Herta Autosport and Chip Ganassi Racing.
2017
Pipo Moteurs joins EXIMIUM group.
2018
Pipo Moteurs has established its independence from the automakers, by developing its own mass-produced, FIA-compliant engine.
At the same time, Pipo Moteurs continues to overhaul and build engines for the 306 maxi, 206 and 307WRC, Ford Focus and Fiesta WRC, Peugeot and Ford F2000…
2020
A twist of fate? Just after viewing Le Mans 66, Fred Barozier, DG Pipo Moteurs, receives an unexpected phone call from Italy. Podium Engineering talks to him about an Endurance engine project for a private American team.
Even before the contract was signed, the teams were thinking about the project, with all the difficulties associated with the Covid pandemic.
10 months later, the V8 engine designed especially for Scuderia Glickenhaus will make its debut in the 2021 Endurance Championship, and will be on the podium in 2022.
2021
Pipo Moteurs has taken on a new challenge: to offer a viable, reliable alternative to the internal combustion engine, which is on the verge of extinction.
Welcome to the hydrogen internal combustion engine!
Two solutions are being studied in parallel: the development of a specific motor and the retrofitting of existing engines.
2022
Hydrogen is becoming an important area of development for the company.
Pipo Moteurs is involved with a number of partners, including CRMT, HORIBA and Prisme, to name but a few, and in various events – trade shows, business meetings, etc. – to expand its ecosystem and move forward on collaborative hydrogen projects.
2023
It’s the year of the hydrogen internal combustion engine!
Two solutions are proposed: the development of a specific engine and the retrofitting of existing engines.