Last week we told you about French rally ace Sebastian Loeb's bid to break the lap record at the fearsome Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
Well we're delighted to tell you that yesterday he managed it with a scarcely believable time of 8m 13.878 seconds. That's more than a minute and a half -- we'll repeat that: A MINUTE AND A HALF -- quicker than the previous lap record.
The car which Loeb used to shatter the record was of course the completely bonkers Peugeot 208 T16, which is fitted with a 3.2-litre twin-turbo V6 engine developing 875bhp. Thanks to a low kerb weight of just 875kg, the T16 is capable of hitting 62mph in just 1.8 seconds, 125mph in 4.8 and 150mph in 7.0 seconds.
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb circuit is one of the most physically demanding hill climbs in the world, as well as one of the most dangerous -- a fact pointed out last year by Jeremy Foley's terrifying crash. Rising 5000ft through the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, the 12.42-mile track has 156 corners, some of which are bordered by sheer 2000ft drops.
What makes the record run especially impressive is that Peugeot's computer had calculated that 8m 15s was the ideal theoretical time in which the course could be completed. Loeb said: "I really didn't expect anything better than 8m15s, so to do 8m13s was fantastic.
"Before the start I didn’t really know if I should push absolutely to the maximum or if I should just push to a comfortable pace, in order to make sure of the victory. In the end, I decided to push to the limit."
Click here to sign up for our monthly newsletter
Related used car searches
Search used Peugeot
Search used Peugeot
Search used Peugeot 208
