Peugeot has revealed the aero concept of its Le Mans Hypercar that will compete in the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship and at Le Mans, the 9X8. Powered by a 2.6-litre twin-turbo V6 engine, with a 900V battery built by Saft and with a maximum power output of 500kW, the car was unveiled to the world with a striking aerodynamic concept that harks back to the ground effect era of Formula 1 in the late 1970s.
Each of the manufacturers that have built a car to the LMH regulations, including Toyota?s GR010 and the Glickenhaus 007C, confirm that the aero targets of lift/drag are not that challenging to meet. With an upper limit of downforce permitted by the regulations, the calculations have become simpler for the development team, and innovation can go instead into the most efficient method of developing the required downforce levels. Peugeot has clearly gone for underfloor generation of downforce with a large rear diffuser and no rear wing, although it does say that the upper and lower body work together to generate the required forces.
Peugeot PX8 Hybrid LMH Rendering
 
?It is a combination of ground effect and upper rear bodywork that has been worked out in a bit of a different way compared to the old LMP1,? confirms Peugeot Sport Technical Director Oliver Jansonnie. ?With the new LMH regulation, there is a lot more freedom on many things. The underfloor is freer and with the upper bodywork there is more freedom plus there is an upper limit on the downforce,...