Move over, Toyota Gazoo Racing, Alpine Matmut, and Glickenhaus. In 2022, the ‘Big Three’ will have a challenger–the Peugeot 9×8.
The French manufacturer launched its new car this week after weeks of speculation. Back in February, Peugeot gave audiences a pre-look of what the hypercar would look like. Now, the press and fans have grounding.
Courtesy WEC-Magazin
This vehicle delivers an all-wheel-drive 680 horsepower through a twin-turbo V6 engine that continues with an extra 380 horsepower in the front wheels.
The design is radical in that it is missing a rear wing. According to Peugeot, the design was taken in relation to its road car, the Peugeot 508.
According to Peugeot Sport, “the greater flexibility allowed by the sport’s new technical rules regarding aerodynamics permits radically new thinking that favors the emergence of innovative cars. Peugeot’s engineers and designers … /broke away/ … from established codes to produce a Hypercar of a completely new genre.”
Teaser videos had hinted that the French carmaker had designed something special, but this new Hypercar machine even surprised the most imaginative fans.
In an industry where adding features is the convention, removing a feature (the rear wing, in this case) raised eyebrows. But it’s not for aesthetics. “We have achieved a degree of aerodynamic efficiency that allows us to do away with that feature,” said Jean-Marc Finot, MotorSport Director of Stellantis, Peugeot’s parent company.
The firm had intended to use three entries for next season but now has decided to use two. Expect to see such drivers as Paul di Resta and Kevin Magnussen behind the wheel.
