NEW PEUGEOT 9X8 HYPERCAR – DESIGNED TO RACE !
The PEUGEOT 9X8 – the brand ’ s latest endurance racing contender – is a direct successor to the PEUGEOT 905 , winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1992 and 1993 , and the PEUGEOT 908 , which won the iconic race in 2009 . The new prototype race car is poised to continue PEUGEOT ’ s successful history in top-level motorsport .
The 9X8 Hypercar is a brand-driven project highlighting PEUGEOT ’ s ‘ Neo-Performance ’ vision which is built around combining a premium sporting pedigree with styling excellence , efficiency and technological expertise that can be carried over to PEUGEOT ’ s road cars .
PEUGEOT ’ s Design and engineering teams have worked in collaboration with its racing division , PEUGEOT Sport , to explore new aerodynamic solutions and styling ideas to create a completely original race car . The PEUGEOT 9X8 ’ s design and aerodynamics have been developed under the responsibility of PEUGEOT Sport Technical Director Olivier Jansonnie and the design team led by PEUGEOT Design Director Matthias Hossann . Greater flexibility , allowed by the sport ’ s new technical rules regarding aerodynamics , permits new thinking that favours the emergence of innovative cars , allowing for new creative processes and a break away from established procedures to produce a Hypercar for a completely new era .
The name of PEUGEOT ’ s new Hypercar competitor , the PEUGEOT 9X8 , is inspired by a combination of the brand ’ s motorsport heritage and vision for the future . The “ 9 ” continues the series employed by PEUGEOT on its previous race cars , the PEUGEOT 905 ( which raced from 1990 until 1993 ) and the 908 ( 2007 until 2011 ), both of which have become icons .
The “ X ” refers to the PEUGEOT Hypercar ’ s all-wheel drive technology and hybrid powertrain , which embodies the brand ’ s electrification strategy in the world of motor racing . PEUGEOT will provide a fully electrified variant across its passenger car and van range by 2025 .
The “ 8 ” is common across all of PEUGEOT ’ s current model names , from the 208 and 2008 to the 308 , 3008 , 5008 and , of course , the 508 . The latter has been worked on by the same engineers and designers working on the current Hypercar project , to create PEUGEOT ’ s first ever PEUGEOT SPORT ENGINEERED model .
Two PEUGEOT 9X8s will contest the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship .
The 9X8 ’ s front and rear lighting signatures , which take the form of three claw-like strokes , are familiar PEUGEOT trademarks , while the brand ’ s new lion ’ s head logo features at the front and on the sides of the car . The Selenium Grey and contrasting Kryptonite acid green / yellow highlights , featured on both the body and inside the cockpit , echo the colour scheme chosen for the new PEUGEOT SPORT ENGINEERED line , introduced first on the 508 and 508 SW .
The sculpted wheels contribute to the balanced lines of the car ’ s uncluttered , sharply-structured flanks , while the wing vents reveal the top of the tyres and the perfectly-integrated mirrors contribute to the car ’ s aerodynamics .
PEUGEOT Design Director , Matthias Hossann , said : “ Since the 9X8 is a PEUGEOT , the original sketch that steered our work portrayed a big cat ready to pounce , a stance which we
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