Photo: Peugeot
The sight of yellow Peugeot 205 Turbo 16 hatches with their huge wings running across the desert brought joy to many fans of the Dakar Rally. But that was quite a few years ago, and now we have a new hero, ready to show the world his strengths.
With a month and a half to go before the start of the 2015 Dakar rally, Peugeot's motorsport team has officially unveiled the full livery of their new 2008 DKR machine. In switching from naked carbon fiber to paint, they hope to show their readiness for the most challenging cross-country rally. Team Peugeot Total other big sponsor is Red Bull, the energy drink's famous logo now sprouting up on both sides of the car.
Peugeot introduced the 2008 DKR back in April and gave us a few more details later on. The race machine is inspired by Peugeot's smallest and most popular crossover, but powers itself using an altogether more radical V6 twin-turbodiesel engine generating around 350 hp.
The 2008 DKR is not only the first Peugeot to race in the famous rally after a 25 year absence, but also one of the most original racers. It's not a 4x4, but a 2x4. To compensate for this disadvantage, the officials have allowed them to use a longer 460mm suspension travel (instead of 250mm) and install bigger tires. Over certain types of terrains, it could prove to be a huge advantage, not to mention very entertaining to watch.
The Peugeot 2008 DKR will be driven by Carlos Sainz, Cyril Despres and Stephane Peterhansel in the 2015 Dakar Rally.
“The team has come up with a unique, innovative car which promises to be extremely versatile for the different types of terrain we are likely to come across. The concept works well. The test programme has shown that it is a very fast machine, although it is obviously difficult to be 100 percent sure of its reliability at this early stage," said Sainz.
Peugeot introduced the 2008 DKR back in April and gave us a few more details later on. The race machine is inspired by Peugeot's smallest and most popular crossover, but powers itself using an altogether more radical V6 twin-turbodiesel engine generating around 350 hp.
The 2008 DKR is not only the first Peugeot to race in the famous rally after a 25 year absence, but also one of the most original racers. It's not a 4x4, but a 2x4. To compensate for this disadvantage, the officials have allowed them to use a longer 460mm suspension travel (instead of 250mm) and install bigger tires. Over certain types of terrains, it could prove to be a huge advantage, not to mention very entertaining to watch.
The Peugeot 2008 DKR will be driven by Carlos Sainz, Cyril Despres and Stephane Peterhansel in the 2015 Dakar Rally.
“The team has come up with a unique, innovative car which promises to be extremely versatile for the different types of terrain we are likely to come across. The concept works well. The test programme has shown that it is a very fast machine, although it is obviously difficult to be 100 percent sure of its reliability at this early stage," said Sainz.
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