Peugeot Sport has released the first teaser photos of the 208 T16 Pikes Peak, which will be driven in the “Race to the Clouds” by the nine-times world rally champion, Sebastien Loeb.
As expected, the 208 T16 Pikes Peak will be a very different machine from the rally-spec 208 T16. It has to be, in order to win the world’s most challenging hillclimb race. We can see from the photos that the car will be much wider that the standard 208 T16, with the huge wheel arches sheltering some fat tyres, especially at the rear. Which is normal, considering that the car is expected to be four-wheel drive.
A second photo reveals the massive rear wing, meant to provide the rear wheels with additional grip, and also a roof scoop that supplies the (presumably) mid-mounted engine with air. There seems to be a lot of carbon fiber on the car – pretty much all the body panels look like they’re made of the very light and rigid material.
Finally, the third photo shows the interior of the 208 T16 Pikes Peak, revealing the central driving position, one which Sebastian Loeb will have to get accustomed to (there will be no co-driver). We’ll have to settle for these three images until Monday, April 15, when Peugeot Sport will fully reveal the car and its specs.
In related news, Peugeot’s racing division will field two 208 GTis in the 2013 Nürburgring 24 Hours. Nothing unusual, except the cars will be driven by eight drivers selected during the 208 GTi Racing Experience program. Only licensed racing drivers from 8 European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom) were able to apply to the competition, and only one from each country made it through all the preliminary test stages.
Divided into two teams, four for each car, drivers will have the chance to enter the race of their lifetime in the 300bhp 208 GTi race car at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
By Dan Mihalascu
PEUGEOT 208 GTI 24H NURBURGRING 
PEUGEOT 208 T16 PIKES PEAK 
