In 1971, Ligier designed a prototype, the JS3, with a centrally positioned 3-liter Ford Cosworth DFV V8 engine. The fairly conventional car was simple but lacked reliability. It was also seen at Le Mans, where Ligier and Depailler were penalized by numerous transmission problems. For 1972 Ligier concentrated on JS2 coupes, which were used successfully until 1975.