The Peugeot 9X8 Le Mans Hypercar races in the 2022 WEC season, without a rear wing! And in Saudi Arabia 2023
The Peugeot 9X8 is a product of what has been added to the new Le Mans hypercar class in the World Endurance Championship starting this year. This has led to the introduction of some beautiful designs to the motoring world, such as the Toyota GR Super Sport and Glickenhaus 007. Peugeot has also thrown its hat into the track with a new supercar called the 9X8. It looks amazing and comes with a hybrid drive. Peugeot has also announced that the 9X8 will participate in the 2022 season of the event.
What are the Peugeot 9X8 superpowers?
The Peugeot 9X8 comes with a hybrid engine that has a twin-turbocharged 2.6-liter V-6 petrol engine that produces 671 horsepower. Power is sent to the rear wheels exclusively via a seven-speed sequential gearbox. This is complemented by an electric motor mounted on the front axle, which produces 268 horsepower. It will also provide additional stopping power and power generation.
However, the combined power output will not exceed 671 hp, according to FIA rules. Therefore, the electric motor will intervene when the internal combustion engine does not produce full power, and it will be powered by a high-voltage 900V high-density battery. This battery is developed by Peugeot in cooperation with Saft, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies, a company specializing in batteries.
Specifications of the Peugeot 9X8 hypercar
2.6L Engine Twin-Turbo V-6 + Electric
Motor Petrol Engine Power 671 Hp
Electric Motor Power 268 Hp
Combined Power 671 Hp
900V High Voltage High Density Battery
Peugeot 9X8 hypercar from the outside?
The 9X8 is finished in a blackish gray with stripes that contrast with yellow and green elements throughout to break up the monotony. And the French automaker gave these colors cool names – selenium gray and green/yellow kryptonite. Closer to canary yellow, this color scheme was inspired by its previous 508 and 508 SW.
At the front, the Peugeot 9X8 comes with distinctive three-claw LED lights along with Peugeot’s new Lion’s Head logo. Which sounds very similar to the Stratton Oakmont logo from The Wolf of Wall Street? In any case, the logo can be seen on the sides as well and is backlit. The back also features 3-claw lighting along with a massive diffuser.
The wheels also look amazing and mimic the same combination of black and green. On the front fenders, in turn, the air vents reveal the upper part of the tyres. The vents look great and help with the aerodynamics of the car. The FIA rules also state that cars can only be equipped with Michelin tyres.
As for the dimensions, the Peugeot 9X8 measures 196.9 inches (500.126 cm) in length, 81.9 inches (208.026 cm) in width and 46.5 inches (118.11 cm) in height. The wheelbase is 119.9 inches (304.546 cm).https://twitter.com/i/status/14124025155656728577
Peugeot 9X8 without rear spoiler!
It’s unusual for cars like this to come without a rear spoiler, but we’re seeing a change of direction this time around. Some of the rules and regulations established by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile are somewhat flexible in terms of aerodynamics.
The regulations state that only one adjustable aerodynamic device is allowed, but it does not necessarily have to be the rear wing. The supercar comes without a rear spoiler. Instead, the Peugeot 9X8’s diffuser and aerodynamic floor take over the downforce.
Peugeot said it seized the “opportunity to invent new creative processes and break away from established codes to produce a completely new type of hypercar.” She also noted that calculations and simulations show that high performance was effectively possible without the use of a single rear wing.
Peugeot is happy to give up the rear wing
The rear part is surrounded by a wide diffuser, which, together with the aerodynamic floor, has the task of generating downforce that increases the car’s stability. Where the rear spoiler is located Peugeot wrote a joke – “we didn’t want a rear spoiler” in its place, and the company went on to say that the rear wings were first seen in the 1967 Le Mans 24 on the Chaparral 2F. Since then, the rear wings have become part of cars and this is the “first time that their use has been questioned in more than half a century”.
“We have achieved a degree of aerodynamic efficiency that allows us to eliminate this feature,” said Jean-Marc Venot, Stellants Motorsports Director. Don’t ask how, though! We all intend to keep this secret for as long as we can! “
Inside the Peugeot 9X8 Hyper Cab?
Peugeot has created a luxurious interior as well. The interior has always been functional in such cars without any aesthetic appearance at all. Peugeot has indicated the same thing and has indicated that she wants to create a brand identity when it comes to the cabin as well. The cabin of the Peugeot 9X8 has been radically changed, putting the maximum possible, and coordinated with a match that combines green and black colors, with a variety of technologies Peugeot calls “ i-Cockpit interior” that you see in the following video, and about the contrast of the car’s colors, Peugeot said that it was intended to be recognized. It has it as a Peugeot in the camera shots. If that’s the purpose, I’d say the French automaker did a great job.
What is the logic behind the name?
This is not a random alphanumeric name. The best endurance racing cars produced by Peugeot begin with the number “9”, and so does this model. This includes a nod to its predecessor the 905, which won the Le Mans 24 Hours race in the 1992 and 1993 years, and the 908, which won the French classic in 2009.
The letter “X” stands for all-wheel drive technology, while the “8” is compatible with its latest models, such as the 208, 2008, 308 , 3008 , 508 and 5008. And other such models bear the number 8.
last thoughts
FIA rules state that 20 road-legal variants must be built into any supercar within two years of its first race. And since the 9X8 will be participating in the 2022 event, we’ll see a street-legal, production-spec iteration of the 9X8 by 2024.
And given how awesome this deadly beast looks, we can’t wait to see what the street model will look like. Hopefully, Peugeot will keep the color palette, the backlit logos, and just reduce how much is just not necessary, are we asking too much? Especially that the street version will land .
In any case, Peugeot will be racing two previous cars and one 9X8s in the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship. Can he replicate the success of the 905 and 908? We’ll have to wait and watch. Or, as the saying goes, tomorrow we sit on the edge and listen to the song.
$6 millionThe price tag for one is $2.3 million. For those more daring, Glickenhaus will build you a 007 race car and let you compete alongside its own team in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, the highlight event of the World Endurance Championship. This option is a tad under $6 million
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