After two years of research and development in great secrecy, here it is at last. And she is already impressing. The 9x8, the new flagship of Peugeot's long line of racing cars, was unveiled this Thursday, May 19 by the brand during a session organized at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve (Portugal).

It will make its debut on July 10 at the 6 Hours of Monza, before going to Fuji (Japan) in September and then to Bahrain in November. However, it will not be present at the 24 hours of Le Mans on June 11, the manufacturer having decided to keep it for the 2023 edition which will mark the centenary of the greatest endurance race in the world.

Loading complete, ready to fight.

Aesthetically, the future n° 93 and 94 in the championship show a certain aggressiveness, with an anthracite and black dress, a new logo, a central edge, front and rear headlights which take up the three significant scratches of the lion brand.

They are distinguished above all by the absence of a rear wing, only two vertical fins and their overall aerodynamics should be enough to stick them to the ground in curves at very high speed.

A hybrid model

On the mechanical side, the 9 x 8 is a hybrid Hypercar with four-wheel drive, a combustion engine driving the rear wheels and an electric one for the front, for a combined power of 680 horsepower and a weight of 1030 kilos. It will use a synthetic and bio fuel prepared by Total Energie.

The Peugeots will be driven by Loïc Duval, Mikkel Jensen, Gustavo Menezes, Paul di Resta, Jean-Éric Vergne and James Rossiter. Kevin Magnussen, who was part of the project, meanwhile returned to F1 with Haas after Russian Nikita Mazepin was sidelined.

The 9x8 has already been tested several times on the circuit of Aragon, in Spain, at Magny-Cours and at Le Castellet. It will now be necessary to check its performance in the race to confirm the return among the Greats of the Sochaux constructor.

The presence of Peugeot in endurance is not new. Between 1990 and 1993, the brand developed the 905 project which led to the world title in 1992. In 2007 and 2008, the 908 HDi FAP with diesel engine finished 2nd in the 24 Hours of Le Mans before taking the double Next year.