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LinkedInPeugeot ditches rear wing on WEC Hypercar
Peugeot has revealed its new 9X8 Hypercar, which will make its competitive debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) in 2022, will not have a conventional rear wing.
The 9X8’s design and aerodynamics have been developed under the responsibility of Technical Director, Olivier Jansonnie and the design team led by Design Director Matthias Hossann.
Jansonnie said: “The greater flexibility allowed by the sport’s new technical rules regarding aerodynamics permits radical new thinking that favours the emergence of innovative cars, with scope for the design teams to make an even bigger contribution.
“Peugeot’s engineers and designers effectively took advantage of this opportunity to invent new creative processes and break away from established codes to produce a Hypercar of a completely new genre.”
Peugeot’s design and engineering teams have worked in collaboration with its racing division, Peugeot Sport, to explore new aerodynamic solutions and styling ideas to create a completely original racecar.
As planned, the car’s rear-mounted, 2.6-litre, bi-turbo, 500 kW (680 hp), 90-degree V6 – the internal-combustion engine part of the Peugeot HYBRID4 500kW powertrain – has been clocking up miles since April.
Meanwhile, the front-mounted 200 kW motor-generator unit, seven-speed sequential gearbox and battery are in the process of being assembled, keeping with the bench-testing validation schedule. The high-voltage (900 volts), high-density battery is being co-developed by Peugeot Sport and space and defence expert Saft, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies.
Jean-Marc Finot, Motorsport Director of Peugeot parent company Stellantis, commented: “The absence of a rear wing on the Peugeot 9X8 is a major innovative step.
“We have achieved a degree of aerodynamic efficiency that allows us to do away with this feature. Don’t ask how, though! We have every intention of keeping that a secret as long as we possibly can!”
Rear wings were first seen at the Le Mans 24 Hours on the Chaparral 2F which contested the race in 1967. However, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest’s innovative rules package for the new Hypercar class breaks with tradition by stipulating performance windows for aspects such as downforce and drag, rather than dictating how those figures are achieved.
