Peugeot has revealed more details of its 208 T16 Pikes Peak competitor.
We told you about the 208 T16 last week; however, that was before Peugeot revealed the car's impressive performance figures.
The 208 T16 will take on the fearsome world-famous hill climb with 875bhp thanks to its twin-turbo 3.2-litre V6 engine. There's a very good reason why Peugeot has given the T16 such a mountain of power and that is that at higher altitudes, the low air pressure dramatically lowers a car's performance. In fact, a car can lose as much as 30 per cent of its power during the Pikes Peak climb, which begins at 2,865 metres and ends at 4,301 metres.
Equally importantly, Peugeot has managed to get the T16's weight down to 875kg, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 1:1. This means that 0-62mph takes 1.8 seconds, 0-125mph takes just 4.8 seconds, and 0-150mph takes 7.0 seconds.
Predictably, besides its name and exterior styling, the 208 T16 bears little to no resemblance to the standard 208. Underneath, the T16 shares many of its components with Peugeot's Le Mans 24 Hours-winning 908, including its running gear, brakes and aerodynamics.
Peugeot believes that the T16's aerodynamic performance is key to the car's success. "The speeds reached during the ascension range from 30 to 150mph and aerodynamics play a key role from 60mph," said Peugeot Sport engineer Jean-Christophe Pallier. And while the most obvious aerodynamic feature of the T16 is undoubtedly that colossal rear spoiler, Peugeot claims that half of the car's downforce will be generated by its underbody tray.
The 208 T16 will be driven by World Rally Champion Sebastian Loeb in the highest 'unlimited' class at Pikes Peak on 30 June.
Click here to sign up for our monthly newsletter
