Peugeot thinks its wingless 9X8 race car can win Le Mans

Enlarge / Peugeot's 9X8 seen testing at Aragorn in Spain in late December 2021. (credit: Peugeot)

With the introduction of the new Hypercar class, Peugeot will try to do something unheard of in more than 50 years-win the 24 Hours of Le Mans without a rear wing. The French automaker raised a few eyebrows when the first pictures of its wingless race car became public last summer, since big rear wings have been part and parcel of racing for decades. But the 9X8 took to the track last month for its first test, and as you can see, it's still sans aile.

The 9X8 is designed to compete under the new Hypercar rules, which are complicated and unfriendly to the casual fan. Not all Hypercars have to be hybrids, but the 9X8 is. Behind the cockpit and ahead of the rear wheels that it powers is a new 2.6 L Biturbo gasoline V6, good for 500 kW (670hp). Ahead of the driver's feet, you'll find a 200 kW (268 hp) electric motor-generator unit. To keep speeds safe, the total output is capped at 500 kW by the 9X8's electronic brain.

The 908 Hybrid4 should have raced against the Audi R18 e-tron quattro and the Toyota TS030 hybrids in 2012. (credit: Peugeot)

Although the 9X8's powertrain is all new, it's not actually Peugeot's first hybrid endurance racer. That honor goes to the 908 Hybrid4, which was meant to contest Le Mans in 2012. Instead, Peugeot shuttered its racing program early after an economic downturn and layoffs made such side activities untenable.

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