Wow! From zero emissions technology to a World Rally Championship challenger, a four-wheel concept version of the three-wheel car-bike cross unveiled in Geneva and the first glimpse of next year’s diesel-powered Le Mans racer all on the same stand, and alongside smaller revisions to the core range – Peugeot certainly know how to grab the attention.
Taking it from the top, the zero-emissions offering is the 207 Epure reveals the styling of the up-coming 207 CC coupe-cabriolet. To this they have added Genepac - fuel-cell electric power developed in partnership with the French Commission for Atomic Energy. To date they say it offers a range of 350km and a rather lethargic top speed of 130kph, but the only thing it emits is water – and they say it represents the future, without specifically adding ‘once it costs less than the budget of a small developing country. It has to happen though, as oil really is running out.
There are more new-generation and flex-fuel proposals, too, but on the other hand, they’re still pretty keen on performance over in Peugeot-world and that’s all there in the other stars of the stand. The 207 Super 2000 (already shown in Geneva) is an off-the-shelf 280bhp 2-litre four-wheel drive rally car aimed at the European National rally scene.
The highly sporting 207 Spider is in effect a four-wheel evolution of the three-wheel 207Cup, now powered by a mid-mounted 175bhp 1.6-litre THP petrol engine developed jointly with the BMW Group – and also intended for a one model race series that will provide the support races at each round of next year’s Le Mans Endurance Series of 1000km races.
And finally, they took the wraps off the first presentation of the car that will take Peugeot back to Le Mans in 2007 – with diesel power to challenge this year’s winners, Audi. Clearly no more than a dummy at the moment, the 908 is a coupe where everything else that challenges it in the top class at Le Mans is currently an open-topped prototype – and it looks absolutely stunning even in simple white, red and blue showcar livery. The 5.5-litre V12 turbodiesel claims ‘more than 700bhp’, and just like the road cars it uses clean-technology particulate filters.
The message, again, is motor sport can play its part in moving on the environmental envelope, and if the future looks like this it may not be so bad after all.
