Ligier Optima

Last updated
Ligier Optima
MHV Ligier OptimaII 01.jpg
Ligier Optima II
Overview
Manufacturer Ligier
Also called
  • Ligier Optimax
  • Ligier Prima
Production1987-ca. 1995
Assembly Abrest, Vichy, France
Body and chassis
Class Microcar
Body style 3-door hatchback
Van (Optimax)
Layout Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Powertrain
Engine
Transmission CVT
Dimensions
Wheelbase
  • 1,770 mm (69.7 in)
  • 1,968 mm (77.5 in) (Optima 4)
Length
  • 2,500 mm (98.4 in)
  • 2,770 mm (109.1 in) (Optima 4)
Width
  • 1,370 mm (53.9 in) (Série 7)
  • 1,400 mm (55.1 in) (Optima)
  • 1,470 mm (57.9 in) (Optimax)
Height1,365 mm (53.7 in) (Série 7)
Kerb weight
  • 305 kg (672 lb) (Série 7)
  • 750 kg (1,653 lb) (electric)
Chronology
Predecessor Ligier Série 5
Successor Ligier 162

The Ligier Optima is a four-wheeled, two-seater microcar manufactured from 1987 to about 1995 by Ligier, the street vehicle branch of French Formula One manufacturer Equipe Ligier. There was also a four-seat version offered from 1993 until 1995, called the Optima 4. The car was originally introduced as the Ligier Série 7, but the name was changed to Optima in 1989. It replaced the earlier Série 5, the final development of a series of cars which started with the boxy Ligier JS4. Commonly, Optimas are "Voiture sans permis  [ fr ]", light vehicles which do not require a driver's license and thus popular with the elderly, the young, or with those who had lost their driving privileges. Ligier also offered more powerful versions which could be driven with certain limited driver's permits and with very low annual taxes. Versions for export markets often had slightly different engine outputs to meet local requirements.

Contents

Série 7

Ligier Serie 7, the original design Ligier Serie 7 voiturette.jpg
Ligier Série 7, the original design

Introduced in 1987, the Série 7 was decidedly more car-like in appearance than the earlier JS4-derived Série 5. [1] The increase in length also made the car more practical, with a considerably larger cargo area. The car was introduced with a 325 cc single-cylinder diesel engine, but this was soon replaced with an air-cooled 265 cc engine built by Fuji Robin in Japan. Power for the original engine was 5 hp (3.7 kW) and top speed was no more than 45 km/h (28 mph) in order to stay within the parameters for sans-permis vehicles. The later engine develops a claimed 4 kW (5.4 hp), reflecting adjustments in French law resulting from the adoption of SI units.

There was also a version called the Série 7 Twin (or 650 Twin) which required a special quadricycle license and was taxed at 1CV (one tax horsepower, the lowest rating possible). This had a two-cylinder diesel engine built by Italy's Ruggerini Motori  [ fr ]. [1] To meet local requirements, German importer AutoTechnik Walther (ATW) offered a 49-cc version with a Sachs two-stroke engine with 3 kW (4 hp). This was sold as the Ligier ATW 50L (later the ATW-Plus 50L). [2]

Optima

Ligier Optima II (Germany, 50 cc version) MHV Ligier OptimaII 02.jpg
Ligier Optima II (Germany, 50 cc version)

The car received a thorough facelift in November 1989, with orange front turn signals which wrap around the corners, and the name was changed to Ligier Optima. [3] Initially, only the 265 cc diesel engine was on offer, [3] but later there was also an Optima/Optimax Twin available. The two-cylinder versions received front disc brakes. A van with a built-out, boxier rear end along the lines of the Renault Express or the Citroën C15, was also available under the name Optimax. AutoTechnik Walther (ATW) kept on offering a 49-cc version with a German Sachs engine, to meet local needs for permitless operation. [4] ATW also developed a version with an electric motor, which they installed in their Bad Rappenau facilities. [5] This version used the 10-inch wheels and drum brakes all around, period testers found this insufficient for a car which was 2.5 times the weight of the original and able to reach speeds of over 100 km/h (62 mph) in Power mode. [5] The price was also elevated - with a few options, the price could easily reach DM 40,000 in 1993, equivalent to $45,836in 2021 and the same as a base model Audi 100 at the time.

After a minor facelift in 1992, the model was sometimes referred to as Optima II. In 1993 it was updated again, now with a larger grille opening with a mesh inside, changing name to Prima (the commercial model was still called the Optimax). The Optima Twin was replaced by the stretched Optima 4, thus named as it could seat four thanks to a longer wheelbase. The Optima 4 offered separately removable rear seats and was only sold with full equipment including tinted windows and seat belts front and rear. The Twin's engine was replaced with a three-cylinder diesel engine by British Perkins Engines, developing 9.6 kW (13 hp) at 3,600 rpm. As with the preceding Optima Twin, this version has front disc brakes to handle the more than doubled power and added weight.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peugeot 205</span> Motor vehicle

The Peugeot 205 is a supermini (B-segment) car produced by the French manufacturer Peugeot from 1983 to 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Citroën Visa</span> Motor vehicle

The Citroën Visa is a five-door, front-engine, front wheel drive supermini manufactured and marketed by Citroën from 1978 to 1988 in gasoline and diesel variants. 1,254,390 examples were ultimately manufactured over a single generation, with a single facelift (1981). China has also assembled the car as the Liuzhou Wuling LZW 7100 minicar. Production started in 1991 and finished in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peugeot 504</span> Motor vehicle

The Peugeot 504 is a mid-size, front-engine, rear-wheel-drive automobile manufactured and marketed by Peugeot from 1968 to 1983 over a single generation, primarily in four-door sedan and wagon configurations – but also as twin two-door coupé and cabriolet configurations as well as pickup truck variants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiat Uno</span> Supermini manufactured and marketed by Fiat

The Fiat Uno is a front-engine, front-drive, four-passenger supermini manufactured and marketed by Fiat. Launched in 1983, the Uno was produced over a single generation in three and five-door hatchback body styles until 1995 in Europe — and until 1 January 2014, in Brazil. Designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro of Italdesign, the Uno strongly recalled the high-roof, up-right packaging of Giugiaro's 1978 Lancia Megagamma concept, in a smaller configuration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peugeot 505</span> Motor vehicle

The Peugeot 505 is a large family car produced by the French manufacturer Peugeot from 1979 to 1992 in Sochaux, France. It was also manufactured in various other countries including Argentina, China, Thailand, Indonesia and Nigeria. The 505 was Peugeot's last rear-wheel drive car.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mazda Luce</span> Motor vehicle

The Mazda Luce is an executive car that was produced by Mazda in Japan from 1966 until 1991. It was widely exported as the Mazda 929 from 1973 to 1991 as Mazda's largest sedan. Later generations were installed with luxury items and interiors as the Luce became the flagship offering. The Luce was replaced by the Sentia in 1991 which was also exported under the 929 nameplate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peugeot 403</span> French car produced from 1955-1966

The Peugeot 403 is a mid-size car manufactured and marketed by Peugeot between May 1955 and October 1966. A total of 1,214,121 of all types, including commercial models, were produced, making it the first Peugeot to exceed one million in sales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiat 131</span> Family sedan

The Fiat 131 is a family sedan manufactured and marketed by Fiat from 1974 to 1984 after its debut at the 1974 Turin Motor Show. Available as a two-door and four-door saloon and 5-door estate across a single generation, the 131 succeeded the Fiat 124.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Innocenti Mini</span> Motor vehicle

The Innocenti Mini is an automobile introduced by Innocenti in 1974. The vehicle was a rebodied, three-door hatchback version of the Mini, styled by Bertone. A five-door prototype was developed around 1980, but was never put into production. After having been sold to De Tomaso in 1976, the Innocenti Mini ended up being powered by Daihatsu-sourced three-cylinder engines and continued in production in incrementally updated forms until 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panhard Dyna Z</span> Motor vehicle

The Panhard Dyna Z is a lightweight motor car produced by Panhard of France from 1954 to 1959. It was first presented to the press at a Paris restaurant named Les Ambassadeurs on 17 June 1953 and entered production the following year. In 1959, it was replaced by the Panhard PL 17.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiat 850</span> Motor vehicle

The Fiat 850 is a small rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive car manufactured and marketed by Italian car manufacturer Fiat from 1964 to 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simca 1000</span> Motor vehicle

The Simca 1000 is a small, rear-engined, four-door saloon which was manufactured by the French automaker Simca from 1961 to 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simca Aronde</span> Motor vehicle

The Simca Aronde is an automobile which was manufactured by the French automaker Simca from 1951 to 1964. It was Simca's first original design, as well as the company's first unibody car. "Aronde" means "swallow" in Old French and it was chosen as the name for the model because Simca's logo at that time was a stylized swallow.

Buchet was a French motorcycle and automobile manufacturer between 1911 and 1930.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peugeot 402</span> Motor vehicle

The Peugeot 402 is a large family car produced in Sochaux, France from 1935 to 1942 by Peugeot. It was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in 1935, replacing the Peugeot 401.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panhard et Levassor Dynamic</span> Motor vehicle

The Panhard et Levassor Dynamic is a large car introduced by the French auto-maker Panhard et Levassor as a replacement for the company’s CS model at the Paris Motor Show in October 1936.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opel Rekord Series D</span> Motor vehicle

The Opel Rekord D series is an executive car that replaced the Rekord C on Opel's Rüsselsheim production lines during the closing weeks of 1971 and launched on the West German market at the start of 1972. It shared its wheelbase and inherited most of its engines from its predecessor, but the bodies were completely new. Also new, announced in September 1972, was the option of a diesel powered Opel Rekord. Early advertising and press material called the new car the "Opel Rekord II" but in due course, the "Rekord II" appellation was quietly dropped and the Rekord D was replaced at the end of the 1977 summer holiday shut down by the Opel Rekord E.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salmson S4</span> Motor vehicle

The Salmson S4 is a mid-size executive-level car introduced as the Salmson S4 C by Société des Moteurs Salmson in Autumn 1932. It was the manufacturer's principal and often sole model for the next twenty years.

Octo was a French automobile manufactured at Courbevoie by Louis Vienne between 1921 and 1928.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ligier JS4</span> Motor vehicle

The Ligier JS4 is a four-wheeled, two-seater microcar manufactured from 1980 to 1983 by Ligier, the street vehicle branch of French Formula One manufacturer Equipe Ligier. It marked a change in Ligier's priorities as they had recently ended manufacture of the Ligier JS2 sports car. It is a "Voiture sans permis", a light vehicle which did not require a driver's license and was thus popular with the elderly, the young, or with those who had lost their driving privileges. The JS4 was first presented on 25 July 1980.

References

  1. 1 2 Bellu, René, ed. (September 1989). "Salon: Toutes les Voitures du Monde 89/90". l'Auto Journal (in French). No. 15 & 16. Paris: Homme N°1. p. 166.
  2. Ligier ATW-Plus 50L: Betriebsanleitung[Owner's Manual] (in German), Bad Rappenau, Germany: AutoTechnik Walther GmbH, 1988, p. 34
  3. 1 2 Bellu, René, ed. (September 1990). "Salon: Toutes les Voitures du Monde 1990". l'Auto Journal (in French). No. 14 & 15. Paris: Homme N°1. p. 176.
  4. Ligier Optima, Optimax (brochure) (in German), Bad Rappenau, Germany: AutoTechnik Walther GmbH, September 1992, p. 4
  5. 1 2 Fritscher, Otto (1993-02-17). "Unser Versuchskaninchen" [Our Guinea Pigs]. Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 2011-09-21.