Can Peugeot turn its style into substance at Le Mans?

This is the third coming of Peugeot in top-line sportscar racing. The 9X8 Le Mans Hypercar that arrived in the World Endurance Championship in July last year is making its first Le Mans 24 Hours appearance in 2023 and follows the 905 3.5-litre Group C and the 908 turbodiesel LMP1 projects that upheld the honour of France at the big race with a trio of victories between them. Yet neither won at the first attempt. The 2023 WEC formbook would need to be ripped up and then pushed through the shredder for Peugeot to make it number four next month.

There’s a parallel between the 905 programme that began nigh on 35 years ago and today’s 9X8, though it is not quite what it seems. The company stylists had a big hand in the original version of the V10-powered 905, a porpoising handful that needed a thorough redesign to become a successful double Le Mans winner. The inputs from outside the racing department in the design of today’s avant-garde LMH are also clear to see from its aggressive front to the rear devoid of a conventional rear wing.