Toyota TS 10 - 1992

After many years of disappointing results in Group C, Toyota capitalised on the 1991 rule changes to relaunch itself with the TS 10, which was designed according to the new parameters and fitted with a brand new 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V10 engine. This new model came close to success at Le Mans, finishing second behind the unbeatable Peugeot 905.

The new FIA rules to limit the performance of C1 prototypes affected both the general characteristics of the car and those of the engines. By introducing a naturally aspirated engine limited to 3.5 litres with no other means of limiting fuel consumption and a minimum weight of 750 kg, they favoured the C2 category, as demonstrated at Le Mans in 1991 with the victory of the Mazda 787B and the subsequent finish of ten other C2 cars. That result partially facilitated the development of the TS 10, yet in order to play it safe, the Toyota team enlisted the help of a European designer, Tony Southgate from the UK, who had designed the Jaguar-TWR cars that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1988 and 1990. Unlike its competitors, the Japanese brand decided against supercharged engines and opted for a V10 that it had to develop entirely from scratch, while competitors such as Ferrari and Ford already had this type of engine, the type used in Formula 1. Taking inspiration from Maranello, the Japanese engineers designed an engine with five valves per cylinder.

In its planned debut at the Japanese Autopolis circuit, where the final stage of the 1991 World Sportscar Championship was held, the TS 10 finished sixth, demonstrating its overall quality, something Toyota would build on the following winter in preparation for the 1992 season. The season began with the 500 km of Monza, where the major manufacturers such as Peugeot, Lola and Mazda, who were still active after the withdrawal of Mercedes and Jaguar, fielded their new Sport-Proto cars, but achieved disappointing results, as few cars made it to the finish line due to various technical problems. With two cars in the race, Toyota managed to win, mainly thanks to the performance of drivers Geoff Lees and Hitoshi Ogawa. The Peugeot 905, which was considered the fastest car, had to retire, but made up for it in the next race at Silverstone, where once again very few cars made it to the finish line; this time, none of the Toyotas made it to the finish line. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the third race of the championship, it was clear that the battle would be between the French and Japanese teams, who shared the starting grid (with two Peugeots, three Toyotas and a third Peugeot in sixth place), even though this ranking was the result of a strategy using optimised spare chassis for qualifying.

Only Mazda caused concern for the frontrunners during the race, taking the lead temporarily.  Peugeot rapidly retook the lead, at times with two cars, but a 905 Evo encountered technical problems and lost ground, allowing the Toyota driven by Masanori Sekiya, Pierre-Henri Raphanel and Kenny Acheson to reclaim its position. They finished second, six laps behind the 905 Evo 1 Bis with Derek Warwick, Yannick Dalmas and Mark Blundle, and one lap ahead of the Peugeot with Mauro Baldi, Philippe Alliot and Jean-Pierre Jabouille.