The other car that was creating a stir in Hall 1 on Friday was the Peugeot 908 RC. On the outside, it's a really sinister yet somehow really beautiful ultra luxury sedan concept; it was evidently styled to resemble a big cat. Peugeot refers to it as a limousine and indeed it's over 16 feet long. On the inside, it's a rear-drive, rear-engine performance car.
That engine is a 5.5-liter turbodiesel V12 capable of 700 hp and 885 lb-ft of torque -- the company developed it to use in the Le Mans series and, as on a racecar, the V12 is supported by a tubular subframe. The six-speed sequential manual transmission that delivers all this torque the rear wheels resides underneath the engine, leaving room for a proper trunk behind the rear axle.
s massive as it appears, the 908 RC probably isn't too heavy for its size, as Peugeot built it using a combination of carbon composite and aluminum honeycomb. However, the wheels, which you can't help but stare at, certainly don't save any weight -- 20s in front, 21s in back. In the cabin, there's seating for only four, but Peugeot insists there's ample room and visibility to go around, as the rear-mounted engine allowed designers to move the seating position farther forward.
Sep 29, 2006 2:55 pm
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