Peugeot 908

D-day for enduro Peugeot

Peugeot has taken the wraps off its new 908 sports prototype – the diesel racer it hopes will break Audi’s stranglehold on the Le Mans 24 Hours

Auto Express Car Reviews

10th October 2006

The German brand has won the enduro classic six times in seven years, and in June made history by taking victory with its oil-burning R10.

Although Audi has stolen some of Peugeot’s thunder by becoming the first to win with a diesel, the French firm has got a step ahead by building a closed coupé to meet forthcoming regulations. The enclosed aerodynamic bodywork also harks back to Peugeot’s previous 905 model, which triumphed at Le Mans in 1992 and 1993.

The 908 has a specially developed twin-turbo 5.5-litre racing V12 said to produce around 700bhp and 1,200Nm of torque – 10 per cent more than the R10. It will debut in December, with an exhaustive testing programme to follow before its Le Mans bow next June.

Meanwhile, American Le Mans Series champs Allan McNish and Dindo Capello recorded Audi’s seventh straight victory in the 10-hour Petit Le Mans showdown staged at Road Atlanta, Georgia.