Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar Gets Ready To Race In Le Mans 2022

With a 670 hp hybrid engine and an odd lack of a rear wing, the new Peugeot 9X8 hypercar will make its Le Mans 24 Hours debut in June. It will compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship next year with a pair of Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) cars against the Toyota GR010 Hybrid.

The new LMH regulations include limitations on critical bodywork sections and a total engine output maximum of 670 hp, but they also allow carmakers to show off different designs and technologies. The new LMH regulations, according to Peugeot Sport technical head Olivier Jansonnie, provided the team “freedom to invent, innovate and explore off-the-wall ways to optimize the car’s performance, and more especially its aerodynamics.”

The 9X8's exceptional aerodynamic efficiency enables it to operate without a rear wing, according to Peugeot Sport.
Jansonnie didn't clarify which 9X8 aerodynamic part was altered. Peugeot says it dedicated special attention to the interior, which includes a cockpit based on the company's i-Cockpit philosophy.

Peugeot 9X8 will be driven by a 670 hp 2.6-liter 90deg V6 petrol engine driving the back axle, with a 268 hp front-mounted 900V electric motor-generator driving the front axle, as previously stated by Peugeot Sport. The 9X8 moniker relates to the company's racing origins as well as its electrified logo.

Peugeot's previous Le Mans cars, the 905 and 908, were given the 9 prefixes, while the X stands for Peugeot's four-wheel-drive technology and hybrid engine. The 8 suffix refers to the company's current lineup of road cars. With a driver lineup that includes ex-Formula 1 drivers Jean-Éric Vergne, Kevin Magnussen, and Paul di Resta, the company will race two Peugeot 9X8 vehicles in the WEC and at Le Mans.