Peugeot has revealed its new Le Mans hypercar — 9X8, which is all set to make its FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) debut in 2022. The 9X8 looks a lot crazier compared to its predecessors: 905 — winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1992 and 1993, and the 908 — which won the endurance race in 2009.
Perhaps, “crazy” would be an understatement compared to Toyota’s new Le Mans hypercar GR010 Hybrid. The 9X8 borrows all the classic Peugeot styling elements such as “claws”, and dials it up to the max and then some. In fact, the entire vehicle is covered up with these claws. And unlike the GR010, the 9X8 doesn’t have a rear wing, and Stellantis Motorsport Director Jean-Marc Finot had the following to say about that — “We have achieved a degree of aerodynamic efficiency that allows us to do away with this feature. Don’t ask how, though! We have every intention of keeping that a secret as long as we possibly can!”. Well, fair enough.
The exterior of the car is painted in Selenium Grey, with subtle yet tasteful Kryptonite acid green contrasting highlights.
Its powertrain details were revealed last year itself. The car has a rear-mounted 2.6-litre 90-degree V6 bi-turbo engine that develops 500 kW (680 metric hp), combined with a 200 kW (272 metric hp) motor-generator unit with a single-speed reducer at the front, forming an all-wheel-drive. The “X” in the name refers to the AWD system. Transmission is a 7-speed sequential. The motor draws juice from a 900-volt high-density battery pack co-developed by Peugeot Sport and Saft — a subsidiary of TotalEnergies.
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