Peugeot has unveiled its new 9X8 Hypercar that will contest the remainder of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship.
The WEC season-opening Qatar 1812km was the swansong for the wingless wonder 9X8 iteration, which cruelly ended in heartbreak for the #93 car that endured a technical failure on the final lap having run in second for much of the race.
Had it made the finish in the runner-up spot, it would have been a highlight for a car Peugeot struggled to match the likes of Toyota and Ferrari with throughout the 2023 campaign.
The new charge features 90% new bodywork, including the addition of a rear wing and employs new tyre dimensions with 29cm wide front tyres and 34cm wide rear tyres, as opposed to the 31cm width employed front and rear on the previous car.
Complimenting the new Hypercar is a bespoke new livery which is as zany as its predecessor.
“The idea was to go back to a car design that is similar that of our rivals car design, so that it would then be given equivalent treatment by the BOP,” said Peugeot Sport Technical Director Olivier Jansonnie.
“This is why we decided to drop the use of identical 31/31cm tyre widths on all the wheels, choosing to fit 29cm tyres at the front and 34cm tyres at the rear.
“Strictly speaking, it’s not a new car, as it has the same chassis, but there are a lot of upgrades.
“For the tyres to work effectively, we had to alter the centre of gravity of the PEUGEOT 9X8, which meant moving certain components and working making others lighter.
“And in order to have a better aerodynamic balance, we also had to look at redistributing the aerodynamic loads, which resulted in us redesigning approximately 90% of the bodywork components, most notably adding the rear wing.
“As well as all this, we decided to use this new homologation to add some reliability and performance upgrades to give us the best opportunities in the championship.
“The target is clearly to get back among the frontrunners, fight regularly for podiums and even challenge for race wins.”
“First and foremost, I would like to congratulate and thank the entire Peugeot Sport team for its excellent work,” said Stellantis Motorsport Senior VP Jean-Marc Finot.
“It really is no small feat to have been able to redesign part of the car in record time whilst managing to compete in the 2023 season.
“Our simulations and initial track testing sessions have shown that the car has more performance.
“We therefore hope to stay among the frontrunners without however getting close to the BoP limit, with minimum weight and maximum power.”
After conducting 1000s of miles of testing, the new 9X8 will make its competitive debut in round two of the 2024 FIA WEC, the 6 Hours of Imola on April 21.
