Just a few days after releasing the first teasers of the 208 T16, French automaker Peugeot has unveiled its Pikes Peak race car through a short clip and a batch of official photos.
The video starts with scenes from the famous “Climb Dance” movie featuring Ari Vatanen’s record-breaking run from 1988, and features the Peugeot 405 T16 version that has won the event twice in the late 1980s. Sebastien Loeb, the nine time WRC champion, is also shown in the Unlimited Class carbon fiber-wrapped vehicle he will be driving at this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, which is scheduled to take place on June 30.
Getting back to Peugeot’s “Race to the clouds” contender, we can now take a better look at the beefed up hatchback and its massive rear wing, spoilers and wide wheel arches. Needless to say, thanks to its unmasked carbon fiber body, the 208 T16 looks even more aggressive than its Pikes Peak predecessor, the 406 T16.
Its proportions are very different to those of the production 208," states Michael Trouvé, who is in charge of silhouette design at Peugeot’s Styling Centre. “This difference gives it an almost beast-like appearance. Peugeot Sport provided us with a number of technical constraints, such as the width, body height, location of the wheels and engine, and we worked to this brief to produce an extreme take on the 208."
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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