Guy Ligier's Blue Cars From Vichy

France's leading team for two decades, Ligier won nine Grands Prix between 1977 and 1996 before becoming Prost Grand Prix.

Guy Ligier, a former rugby player and Formula One driver, founded his company in 1968 to build sports cars, naming the first one JS1 after his late friend Jo Schlesser. After a second place at Le Mans in 1975 he turned to Formula One, taking over the assets of Matra's team. Ligier made its debut at the 1976 Brazilian Grand Prix with a Matra V12, and it was based at Vichy until 1988 and then at Magny Cours.

Jacques Laffite won the 1977 Swedish Grand Prix, generally considered the first all French victory in the World Championship. Switching to Ford engines for 1979, Ligier won the first two races of that season with Laffite, and Patrick Depailler won in Spain. Didier Pironi and Laffite won again in 1980, when the team finished second in the constructors' standings, its best result, and Laffite added two wins in 1981 when the cars ran as Talbot Ligier with Matra engines. Laffite won six races for the team in all.

Through the rest of the 1980s Ligier used a string of engines, including Renault turbos, Megatron, Judd and Lamborghini, and the results faded. Guy Ligier sold the team to Cyril de Rouvre in 1993, and in 1994 it passed to Flavio Briatore and Tom Walkinshaw. With Mugen Honda engines it won once more, when Olivier Panis came through a race of heavy attrition to win the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix.

That was nearly the end. Ligier raced for the last time at the 1996 Japanese Grand Prix, and in February 1997 the team was sold to Alain Prost and became Prost Grand Prix. Across 21 seasons Ligier started 326 World Championship races and won nine.

Drivers

• Franck Lagorce