Ligier

Ligier is a French automotive manufacturer and former Formula One constructor founded by Guy Ligier in 1962. It began as a builder of racing cars and expanded into sport and road cars during the 1960s and 1970s. The company is best known for its active involvement in international motorsport, including a dedicated Formula One team that carried the Ligier name.

Ligier Grand Prix competed in Formula One from 1976 until 1996. During its two decades in F1, the team earned a number of podiums and points and achieved one Grand Prix victory: Olivier Panis won the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix. The team worked with several engine suppliers over the years and fielded a range of drivers, including Jacques Laffite, among others.

In addition to its racing activities, Ligier produced road-going sports cars in the 1960s and 1970s, often associated with a line of lightweight, chassis-centric models bearing the Ligier name and the JS prefix. These cars reflected the company's emphasis on sporty performance and shared engineering approaches used in its racing program. By the early 1980s, the emphasis on factory racing diminished, and the company reorganized its business focus.

Today, the Ligier name lives on primarily through the Ligier Group, which markets small utility vehicles and microcars under the Ligier banner. Ligier remains a notable part of French automotive history for its dual role as a race car constructor and as a producer of compact road vehicles, contributing to both motorsport heritage and light-vehicle design.