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Peugeot 505 —
the V6 that travelled far

The most powerful of the first three PRV Peugeots: the 2,849 cc ZN3J with LH-Jetronic electronic injection, 170 bhp. This engine travelled far — it is found under the bonnet of the Lancia Thema 6V, the family's only Italian, and in the civilian Peugeot P4 series built around 1991-1992.

170
bhp · LH-Jetronic ZN3J
2849
cc · 12 valves
3
cars for one and the same code
≈220
bhp · the Dakar P4s' ZN3J3
Engines

One code only: ZN3J

The ZN3J is Peugeot's electronically injected 2.8-litre — the same code as the Lancia Thema 6V's, where it gives 147 to 150 bhp, and the civilian P4 V6's. The 24-valve would come later, on the 605.

Peugeot 505 Electronic injection · 12 valves Every known code →
ZN3J170 bhp
2,849 ccLH-Jetronic injection12 valvesZN3J engine file →
505 V6 — the Douvrin V6 with electronic injection in the lion's saloon and estate; 147-150 bhp in the Lancia Thema 6V, 170 bhp in the civilian P4 V6.
The off-road cousin

From the saloon to the Dakar 4×4

Around 1991–1992, FAM built a very limited civilian P4 series — an estimated fifteen cars — powered by the 505's ZN3J. And from 1987, before that series, Peugeot Talbot Sport fitted its Dakar fast-assistance P4s with a ZN3J bored out to 2,975 cc: the ZN3J3, lightened flywheel, reworked cams, specific mapping, about 220 bhp, to support the 205 T16s and 405 Turbo 16s. Citroën Sport carried the formula on into the 1990s — some twenty units in all.

The civilian P4 has its own file; the Dakar P4s are told in the P4 Dakar section of the Tuners page.

170
BHP · ZN3J · LH-JETRONIC INJECTION
2849
CC
2975
CC · ZN3J3 DAKAR
≈15
CIVILIAN P4 V6s
The lion and the V6

After the 604, before the 605

The most powerful of the three

The 504 Coupé and Cabriolet and the 604 opened the way with the carburetted 136 bhp 2,664 cc; the 604 moved to K-Jetronic injection then to the 155 bhp 2,849 cc. The 505 V6 and its 170 bhp ZN3J are the culmination of that first Peugeot line. 504 file → · 604 file →

The only Italian

The 505's ZN3J is also the engine of the Lancia Thema 6V — the PRV family's only Italian, with 147 to 150 bhp depending on the source.

Next: the 605

The story of the V6 at the lion continues with the 605 — the 12-valve ZPJ, then from 1990 the SV24 and its 200 bhp 24-valve ZPJ4 with ACAV variable intake.

No document, for now

No document specific to the 505 V6 is in the Library yet — if you own one, the Contribute page awaits you.

In the workshop

What the FAQ says about the 505 V6

The FAQ answers that concern the 505 and its engine — pending a period workshop sheet.

Peugeot 505 The full FAQ →
Moteur
What engine powers the Peugeot 505 V6?
The 2,849 cc LH-Jetronic ZN3J, 170 bhp — the same code as the Lancia Thema 6V's.
Peugeot
Which Peugeots got the PRV V6?
Five models: 504 Coupé & Cabriolet, 604, 505, 605 — and the P4 V6, a very limited civilian series. 504 · 604 · 505 file → · 605 file → · P4 V6 file →
Injection
Which cars have a PRV V6 with electronic injection?
The norm from the 1980s onwards — some twenty models: Peugeot 505 V6, 605 and civilian P4, Renault 25 (atmo and Turbo), Safrane, Laguna, Espace, Volvo 760 and 780, Alpine GTA Turbo, GTA Le Mans and A610, the three Venturis, Citroën XM, Lancia Thema 6V, Dodge Monaco, Eagle Medallion and Premier. All vehicles →
Thema
Does the Lancia Thema have a PRV V6?
Yes, the Thema 6V: the 147-150 bhp ZN3J — the only Italian among the eleven PRV marques. Tagora & Thema file →
P4
Did the Peugeot P4 exist with a PRV V6?
Yes — in a very limited civilian series of around fifteen examples, produced around 1991–1992 by FAM. These P4s were fitted with the ZN3J, the 2.8-litre fuel-injected PRV V6 of the Peugeot 505 (170 bhp). They are among the rarest PRV-powered vehicles in existence. Separately, Peugeot Talbot Sport used a bored-out version — the ZN3J3 (2,975 cc, ≈ 220 bhp) — as a rapid-assistance vehicle at the Dakar rally from 1987. P4 V6 file → · P4 Dakar section →
Dakar
Did the PRV V6 compete in the Paris-Dakar?
Not as a competition car, but as a rapid-assistance vehicle. From 1987, Peugeot Talbot Sport (PTS) fitted Peugeot P4 4×4s with a bored-out PRV — the ZN3J3 (2,975 cc, lightened flywheel, reworked camshafts, specific mapping, ≈ 220 bhp) — to support the 205 T16 and 405 Turbo 16 entries. Citroën Sport continued the practice into the 1990s for its own Dakar campaigns. Around twenty units were built in total. P4 Dakar section →
Codes
Did Alpine, DeLorean, Lancia or Eagle have PRV engine codes of their own?
No. Every PRV V6 carries a code from one of the three partners: the Douvrin Z-codes at Renault (Z6V, Z7V, Z7U, Z7W, Z7X) and at Peugeot — shared with Citroën within PSA (ZM, ZMJ, ZNJ, ZN3J, ZPJ, ZPJ4) — and the B-codes at Volvo (B27, B28, B280). The other marques bought the engine as it was: Alpine under Renault codes (Z7U in the GTA Turbo, Z7X 744 in the A610), DeLorean under the Peugeot ZMJ (ZMJ-159 variant), Eagle and Dodge under the Z7X (711 and 715), Lancia under the ZN3J, Venturi under Z7U, Z7W and ZPJ4 units prepared by EIA. No carmaker ever struck a PRV code in its own name. Every known code →

In the Library

No document specific to the 505 V6 is in the Library yet — if you own one, the Contribute page awaits you.

On the forum

The 505 has its own section on the forum — presentations, restorations, questions to members who drive one. Peugeot 505 section →

The code behind the 505

ZN3J — the lion's electronically injected 2.8-litre, from the 505 to the Thema and the P4.

ZN3J file →P4 V6 file →Thema file → All vehicles →