Peugeot TotalEnergies have unveiled their upgraded Peugeot 9X8 which will compete in the Hypercar class for the remaining rounds of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). The upgrade includes a new livery, new tyre widths, and 90% of the bodywork being modified, most noticeably including a new rear wing.
When the Peugeot 9X8 arrived on the WEC stage in 2022, all eyes were drawn to its unique shape, missing as it did a rear wing. After a mixed season in 2023, the car’s final outing was at the 2024 Qatar 1812km. With the car’s design so heavily biased towards flat, open, fast circuits, the car performed well, battling for second position until disaster struck on the penultimate lap of the ten hour long race.
With regulation changes taking effect since the car’s debut, the potential to explore more performance has opened up. “Strictly speaking, it’s not a new car,” explained Olivier Jansonnie, Peugeot Sport Technical Director, “as it has the same chassis, but there are a lot of upgrades.”
The team has switched from 31cm tyre widths on all tyres to 29cm width front tyres and 34cm width rear tyres, bringing them more in line with other Hypercar teams. “For the tyres to work effectively, we had to alter the centre of gravity of the Peugeot 9X8, which meant moving certain components and working making others lighter” Jansonnie explained. “And in order to have a better aerodynamic balance, we also had to look at redistributing the aerodynamic loads, which resulted in us redesigning approximately 90% of the bodywork components, most notably adding the rear wing.”
Thanks to its distinctive front end and air intake over the cockpit, the new 9X8 is still recognisably the Peugeot Hypercar. The car’s striking new livery features the lion head emblem of the French marque in different shapes and colours. Matthias Hossann, Peugeot Brand Design Director, explained that “this graphic design, symbolising a ‘pack of lions’, conveys the sense of collective that reflects the values of Endurance racing perfectly. We wanted to highlight this team spirit and the wealth of talent in the team.”
For Peugeot, a team steeped in endurance racing history, including a memorable 1-2-3 finish at the 1993 24 Hours of Le Mans, it is hoped that these upgrades will help propel the team back to the front of the extremely competitive Hypercar pack. They also have form at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola. The team won the only 6 Hours of Imola to date in 2011 as part of the 2011 Le Mans Sports Series with a great 1-2 finish.
The next round of the 2024 FIA WEC is the 2024 6 Hours of Imola on 21 April.
