Low drag is important for Le Mans. I like a rule set that allows for creative gambles like this.
That's a wild looking car.
Photography Courtesy Peugeot
Peugeot calls its newly announced 9X8, the French carmaker’s entry into the new-for-2021 FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar class, the “direct successor to the Peugeot 905.”
“But wait,” you might be saying, “where’s the rear wing?”
Apparently, its exclusion was done on purpose, as the design of the 9X8 was influenced by “radical new thinking that favours the emergence of innovative cars,” thanks in part to “greater flexibility allowed by the sport’s new technical rules regarding aerodynamics.”
Peugeot also explains where it got the 9X8 name from:
The “9” continues the series employed by the manufacturer for its recent topflight endurance racing cars, namely the PEUGEOT 905 (which raced from 1990 until 1993) and the 908 (2007 until 2011), both of which became icons of the brand.
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.
The “8” is the suffix used for all of PEUGEOT’s current model names, from the 208 and 2008, to the 308, 3008, 5008 and, of course, the 508 which very recently passed through the hands of the engineers and designers who crafted the Hypercar to become the first car to sport the Peugeot Sport Engineered label.
At any rate, Peugeot is currently planning on running two 9X8 prototypes in the upcoming 2022 World Endurance Championship.
What do you think of the car’s wingless design?
Low drag is important for Le Mans. I like a rule set that allows for creative gambles like this.
That's a wild looking car.
I'm all for these creative gambles (assuming, of course, that no one gets killed or anything).
The next Batmobile?
Meh, still a rendering, I'll believe it when I see it in the flesh. Also the WEC is way more than LeMans these days so the aero needs to work at all tracks.
Sure, but if the advantage is a big drop in drag that will show up more at Le Mans than anywhere else. And nobody ever remembers who wins the championship anyhow :)
The rear fin is also a lot shorter. It's probably also not needed but is there due to regulations.
In reply to Adrian_Thompson (Forum Supporter) :
Championships in endurance racing have a history of not being stable so the big races are what's counted.
The current versions of IMSA and WEC are less than 10 years old so to give a sense of history a driver or team's Sebring, Daytona, or Le Mans wins are counted.
Everyone knows that Mazda won Le Mans in 91 and that Ford took 1-2-3 in 66. Nobody has a clue who won the season championships those years.
That Peugeot is cool.
Reminds me a little of that failed outside the norm Nissan LMP car. NO the other Failed Nissan LMP car.
Given the reduced pace targets of the WEC Hypercar class I wonder how well a sorted GTR-LM would of done (Have not done the research to see if it would meet the specs even remotely). Wonder if anyone would attempt a similar FWD gas/RWD hybrid for GIANT Aero tunnel approach.
I know it's Digital but Jimmy Broadbent has had some success with the GTR-LM online.
Still this Peugeot thing looks intense. I really hope they actually build the interior to be that themed/finished.
Not mentioned in the GRM article - this car has over 1000 hp on tap between the electric and ICE powerplants. But it's only allowed to deploy 670 at a time (don't ask how that is enforced!). Which opens up all sorts of interesting strategy possibilities for energy management. Obviously the total energy from the fuel won't change, but when would it be beneficial to use electric horsepower instead of explosion horsepower and vice versa?
Ah, here's a hint. The 670 ICE is powering the rear wheels, the 200 hp electric motor is on the fronts. So you use the electric horses to help pull out of corners and then burn dinosaurs down the straight as the batteries refill.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
New rule is that 4WD is only allowed to kick in above 100kph so that the 2WD cars aren't obliterated, especially in the wet.
Last year they started success ballast to hold back Toyota but they still won at Spa in the rain.
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