Peugeot is heading back to Le Mans more than a decade after breaking Audi’s winning streak at the world’s most famous 24-hour race. The French carmaker, which last raced at Le Mans in 2011 when it failed to defend its 2010 title, is gearing up to campaign a pair of all-wheel drive hybrid machines in the World Endurance Championship (WEC). The new 9X8 will take on cars from Toyota and Glickenhaus in the WEC during 2022, and Peugeot also has it eye on a return to the Le Mans 24H race itself that year if the car is ready in time.
But more newsworthy than Peugeot’s return is the radical design of the car the company has created for its comeback. Because Peugeot’s aerodynamicists claim they can achieve the downforce needed to stay glued to the track without the help of a traditional rear wing.
Though Finot didn’t elaborate on what tricks Peugeot has used to replace the downforce lost by not having a wing, it seems safe to assume there’s some clever moveable diffuser or underfloor panel hidden below that wild composite skin. And it certainly is wild. Apart from the huge cut-outs above the wheels, presumably to let high-pressure air bleed out of the wheelarches, the decidedly brick-shaped 9X8 features a roof snorkel that flows into a rear dorsal fin, integrated mirrors, and Peugeot’s trademark claw light signature at both ends.
Peugeot also claims the 9X8’s interior was styled to mimic the i-Cockpit design on the firm’s road cars so that it would clearly recognisable as a Peugeot to race fans watching in-car footage, though if we’re honest, we’re struggling to see the connection ourselves. Powering the 9X8 is a hybrid drivetrain comprising a 671 hp 2.6-liter V6 petrol engine and 268 hp electric motor. The gasoline motor works exclusively on the rear wheels, driving through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and the 900-volt e-motor drives the front wheels.
What’s in the name? Peugeot says the 9 references its previous Le Mans machines, the 905 and 908, the X is supposed to symbolise the all-wheel drive hybrid setup. The 8 simply provides a tenuous link to the carmaker’s current road car line-up. Peugeot’s 9X8 driver team includes Kevin Magnussen, Paul di Resta, Jean-Eric Vergne, Loic Duval, Gustavo Menezes and Mikkel Jensen, who between them bring a heap of top level motorsport experience to the table.
