Meet the new 908 RC concept car – one Peugeot saloon that won’t be sitting in the outside lane with a jacket hanging on the rear coathook.
In fact, you’re more likely to see elements of the 908 on a race track – its rear-mounted 5.5-litre V12 diesel packs a mammoth 885lb ft of torque and over 700bhp, and is the basis for the engine in Peugeot’s 2007 Le Mans car.
Peugeot says the 908’s top speed is in excess of 185mph, and that the concept will cover a standing kilometre in 22sec, which is certainly faster than your average French saloon.
The bodywork around the 908’s 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels is supposedly cat-like – the bonnet being the head. There are certainly many touches reminiscent of the 907 concept car (see our gallery) and, at the rear, the 407 Coupé. Peugeot claims it points the way towards the look of its future saloons.
Other highlights are a six-speed sequential gearbox mounted underneath the engine; cylinder banks canted at 100degrees to give the lowest possible centre of gravity; a driver-controllable rear spoiler and whopping carbon ceramic brakes (380mm at the front; 350mm at the rear).
Both the 908 RC and Peugeot’s 2007 Le Mans race car will be at the Paris motor show in late September.
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