Peugeot Are Trying To Be Fast Again

June 7, 2016 Motoring Comments Off on Peugeot Are Trying To Be Fast Again 1,587 Views

Peugeot make some incredibly boring cars, so boring they share a a model with Mitsubishi (The 4008 is a Mitsubishi ASX), a company so boring a chunk of them was recently acquired by Nissan, part owned by Renault, Peugeot’s biggest competitor.

In an attempt to remind us that Peugeot hasn’t always been boring, and in fact has a Motorsport history as old as, well, Motorsport, they have released another fast fantasy concept car.
This one is called the L500 R, it has 500hp and 730Nm of torque from a hybrid drive train, and since it only weighs 1000kgs it is supposed to do 0-100 in 2.5sec. Being only one meter high it is also rather stylish, with a single seat cockpit loaded with fancy holographic instruments.

It was also built to celebrate Peugeot’s success at the Indy 500 (I told you they had history). The only problem is that success was way, way back in 1919, although it was at the end of a winning streak started in 1913. Now Peugeot have had plenty of Motorsports wins since 1919, but not many since 2000. They had a great WRC season a few years ago, and last one anything in the States in 2013 at Pike Peak.

But Peugeot are proud of their history, here is an excerpt from the press release that explains why:

PEUGEOT L500 R HYbrid pays tribute to the L45 and to Peugeot’s illustrious past in the USA,

when the Lion claimed three victories in the 500-mile event at the Indianapolis speedway, the

world’s second-oldest racetrack. The L45 (for 4.5 litres) took over from the L76, put together in

1912 by a team of intrepid young drivers known as the “Charlatans”, who produced a whole

series of racers that would open a new age in racing engine design, through to 1919.

The L76 was the first car in the world to use a four-cylinder engine with four valves per cylinder

plus a dual overhead camshaft, and was the first modern racing car to reach 190 km/h.

At the wheel of Peugeot’s first racers —L76, L57, L3 and L45— the Charlatans claimed success

after success on the racetracks of the world. Drivers Georges Boillot, Jules Goux and Paolo

Zuccarelli, and engineer Ernest Henry, enjoy enduring distinction for bold innovation.

Lets just hope Peugeot can get back on track, literally, they have spent to long making boring cars and it is about time they got back to some of the Motorsport success of last century.