Peugeot has released the official video and new photos of the Peugeot 208 T16 for this year’s Pikes Peak.
Loeb tested the Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak in the La Ferté-Vidame track in Northern France, describing it as rocket with 875 horses Loeb said:
“The 208 T16 Pikes Peak is a rocket! It’s so powerful! The first time you drive it, each gear change practically stuns you. The shifts are really brutal, and it takes a little time to anticipate the sudden jarring. You get used to it, but it was quite disorienting to begin with.”
“I have driven many types of car in my career, but this is very, very different. Its acceleration performance and stopping power are more like those of a Formula 1 single seater than a rally car. Its handling is fantastic as well; there’s so much grip, and the all-wheel drive transmission makes it very stable. It’s got huge potential.”
Loeb also said, how much he was impressed by the braking. The 208 T16 Pikes Peak is a combination of the best elements of racing cars in the world. Featuring the stunning aerodynamics of the single-seaters of Formula 1, it has wide tires of the LMP1 prototype endurance racing cars and the differential of a WRC car.
He continued by saying:
“This track isn’t very wide and there aren’t any run-offs, so I’m taking things one step at a time. I don’t know what the car’s limits are yet but it was important to do this run on a circuit today. Now we have a better idea of where we stand and a better overview of the car’s potential. After that, the challenge will be to try to feel totally at one with the car on the Pikes Peak Hill Climb itself. That will take some work…”
Peugeot until June 30, has planned several more tests on other tracks with high altitude, so that Loeb will be ready to break the record on the legendary ascent of Colorado.
The Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak is equipped with a V6 bi-turbo 3,2-liter 24-valve engine mounted in the center, producing 875 horses with 900 Nm of torque. It has a top speed of 240 km/h with an 0-100 km/h acceleration in 1.8 seconds, the 0-200 km/h in 4.8 seconds and 0-240 km/h in just 7.0 seconds.
The power is transferred to all four wheels through a 6-speed sequential gearbox with paddles on the steering wheel. The chassis is tubular with the body being made entirely of carbon.
The exhaust is coming out of the side and it has a length of 4.500 mm, width of 2.000 mm, height of 1.300 mm and track width of 2.695 mm. It weighs 875 kg, having a kilo per horsepower ratio of 1:1.
