Peugeot Sport has pulled no punches in its bid to provide Sébastien Loeb with a singularly awesome machine for the 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, US, on June 30.
The 208 T16 Pikes Peak in which the nine-times World Rally champion will race is a one-off all-wheel drive car powered by a mid-rear mounted 3.2-litre V6 biturbo engine wielding 652kW.
Tipping the scales at just 875kg, the pugilistic Peugeot has a breathtaking power-to-weight ratio, enabling the carbonfibre-bodied car to blast from 0-100km/h in 1.8 seconds. Even more impressively, it takes only seven seconds to reach its top speed of 240km/h.
156 CORNERS
An awe-inspiring aerodynamic package will help Loeb’s ride stay sucked to the tar on the world’s highest hill climb, which measures 20km over 156 turns and ends at an altitude of 4301m.
The event marks the French team’s return to the so-called “race to the clouds” after its victories there in 1988 and 1989.
The Pikes Peak Hill Climb has taken place since 1916, making it the second oldest motorsport event in the US, and it’s contested by a variety of classes of cars, trucks, motorcycles and quads.
The overall record time of 9min 46.164secs was set last year in a Hyundai Genesis Coupe driven by Rhys Millen.