Peugeot L500 R HYbrid Concept
It was May 30, 1916, when the Peugeot
L45 driven by Dario Resta won the Indianapolis 500. A hundred years later, the
company pays tribute to that success with the L500 R HYbrid racing concept.
The L45 was named after its 4.5-liter
engine, that took over from the L76 and was put together by a team of young
drivers, known as the "Charlatans", who managed to bring in three
victories on the Indy 500 speedway, from 1913 to 1919.
Peugeot's new concept, on the other
hand, is a futuristic study just 1 meters (39.37 in) tall and tips the scales
at 1,000 kg has a plug-in hybrid powertrain, developed by Peugeot
Sport Teams, with a 270 PS petrol engine and two electric motors, one
on each axle, producing a total of 500 PS and 730 Nm of
torque, enough to propel it from naught to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds.
It has a long and sleek body with lines
running from the Lion badge on the grille towards the rear, but it does bear
one common thing with the classic racer: its color combo. Speaking of which,
the dual-tone blue and black scheme is a reference to both the 3008 R HYbrid
petrol-hybrid and the L45, while the front light signature of reminds of the
latest 3008.
Peugeot's engineers and designers worked
closely together to develop the car that is "one with its driver", as
the manufacturer writes, making use of the brand's i-Cockpit technology that
takes a motorsport stance with a small steering wheel and two holograms showing
info in dual disc displays. The original two-seat architecture of the L45 was
reinterpreted by the French, who came up with a single-seater design.
