PEUGEOT revealed the all new hypercar 9X8, powered by a hybrid power unit which drives through all-wheel drive transmission. The PEUGEOT 9X8 is the brand’s latest racing contender and 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 French classic in 2009.
The name of PEUGEOT’s new Hypercar challenger is the PEUGEOT 9X8. 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.
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 in backlit form at the front and on the sides of the car. The Selenium Grey and contrasting Kryptonite acid green/yellow highlights of both the body and inside the cockpit echo the color scheme chosen for the new PEUGEOT SPORT ENGINEERED line which was introduced with the 508 and 508 SW. Outside, the sculpted wheels contribute to the balanced lines of the car’s uncluttered, sharply-structured flanks, the wing vents reveal the top of the tires and the mirrors contribute to the impression that airflow passes over the car unimpeded.
The details of the PEUGEOT 9X8’s rear-end design include the brand’s claw-effect lighting signature, while the lights themselves flank a wide diffusor above which the quip “We didn’t want a rear wing” is written.
Since the announcement in September 2020 of PEUGEOT’s involvement in endurance racing’s new Le Mans Hypercar class, the factory in Versailles, near Paris, has been working on the 9X8. As planned, the car’s rear-mounted, 2.6-liter, bi-turbo, 500kW (680hp), 90-degree V6 – the internal-combustion engine part of the PEUGEOT HYBRID4 500KW powertrain – has been clocking up kilometers on the bench since April.
Meanwhile, the front-mounted 200kW motor-generator unit, seven-speed sequential gearbox and battery are in the process of being assembled in keeping with the bench-testing validation schedule. The high-voltage (900 volts), high-density battery is being codeveloped by PEUGEOT Sport and Saft, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies.
PEUGEOT 9X8 – Technical Data
Class: Le Mans Hypercar (LMH)
Length: 5,000mm
Width: 2,080mm
Height: 1,180mm
Wheelbase: 3,045mm
Powertrain: PEUGEOT HYBRID4 500KW (all-wheel drive)
Rear-drive train: 500kW (680hp), 2.6L twin-turbo, 90-degree V6 petrol internal combustion engine + seven-speed sequential transmission
Front-drive train: 200kW electric motor-generator + single-speed reducer
Battery: High density, 900-volt battery co-designed by Peugeot Sport, TotalEnergies/Saft
Fuel and lubricants: Total Energies