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Peugeot Hypercar Will Go Endurance Racing in 2022

Groupe PSA focused on streamlining its business following their exit from the World Endurance Championship, buying Opel and Vauxhall from General Motors in the meantime while returning them to profitability. Fast-forward to the present day, and following the announcement of the merger with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the French manufacturer feels that it’s high time race again.
Peugeot 908 HYbrid4 LMP1 racing prototype 8 photos
Photo: Peugeot
Peugeot 908 HYbrid4 LMP1 prototype racing carPeugeot 908 HYbrid4 LMP1 prototype racing carPeugeot 908 HYbrid4 LMP1 prototype racing carPeugeot 908 HYbrid4 LMP1 prototype racing carPeugeot 908 HYbrid4 LMP1 prototype racing carPeugeot 908 HYbrid4 LMP1 prototype racing carPeugeot 908 HYbrid4 LMP1 prototype racing car
PSA Motorsport under the Peugeot Sport nameplate will return to the WEC thanks to “the significant cost savings” of the hypercar regulations, and the confirmation of hybrid power units convinced the executive committee to pour resources into this effort. The question is, why would the automaker spend so much money in a racing series that’s dominated by Toyota following Porsche’s departure?

“Marketing benefits in line with Groupe PSA standards” is how the French manufacturer explains its decision, which leads us to believe that Peugeot Sport has plenty of interesting products in the pipeline. There’s already talk about the successor of the 208 GTi going all electric, ending the internal combustion legacy that started with the 205 GTi in ‘84 and a 1.6-liter engine packing 105 PS.

“I am very excited at the prospect of channeling the skills and passion of my team into this project,” said PSA Motorsport director Jean-Marc Finot. “These initiatives are completely in tune with Peugeot’s ‘Motion and E-motion’ brand signature,” added Jean-Philippe Imparato, the automaker’s head honcho.

There are no details available for the mystery hypercar that Peugeot will field at Le Mans, nor there are any photographs or design sketches of the hybridized racing car. The hypercar class was given the green light at the beginning of October by the FIA World Motor Sport Council in Cologne, and regulations were also changed for the LMP2 category to reduce R&D costs.

Toyota, on the other hand, has previewed the GR Super Sport Concept in WEC livery in June. No fewer than 100 road-legal examples have to be built to homologate the racing car, and as per the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, the hypercar class is limited to 550 kW or 750 horsepower while the minimum weight will increase to 1,100 kilograms (2,425 pounds).
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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