The brand new 9X8 Le Mans hypercar from Peugeot is ready for its maiden voyage. The company has confirmed that two identical cars will take part in the 6 hours long Monza race on July 10, 2022, and will mark the brand’s entry right in the middle of the World Endurance Championship this year. Let’s take a closer look at the much-anticipated Peugeot sports car, ahead of its racing debut.

The Powering System

Interestingly, it’s a hybrid system that is powering the Peugeot 9X8 hypercar. The rear wheels of the car are powered by a 697bhp 2.6-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine, and the fronts are driven by a 268bhp electric motor. This F1-style hybrid system is developed by Peugeot by using the expertise gained from its road cars. Also, the knowledge received from this very racing event would be incorporated into the upcoming production vehicles of the company. The hybrid powertrain of the hypercar is being pieced together by two companies — Total Energies and Saft.

The Striking Styling

The design of the hypercar faithfully adheres to the concept unveiled by Peugeot in July 2021. The 9X8 features a deep front splitter, but without a lairy rear spoiler. The need for it is cleverly compensated by some ducting underneath the bodywork, allowing the car to reach the required downforce level on track, without a wing. The company has also made a conscious effort to make the 9X8 hypercar instantly recognizable on track with its signature tiger claw daytime running lights, kindred tri-bar tail lights, and radiator grille.

The Future Plan

Peugeot is also going to enter the car in the 2023 Le Mans 24-Hour Race. As the company was still developing the vehicle, it missed the deadline for the same event this year. But, as per the brand, those final tweaks were important to hone the performance and reliability of the hypercar. And as we know, when it comes to Peugeot cars, there’s no compromise on quality!

As of October 2020, the SSC Tuatara now holds the record for being the fastest production vehicle in the world. Not only that, but it broke records for the fastest flying mile and kilometer on a public road and the highest speed ever on a public road – at a whopping 331.15mph! However, if speed isn’t really your thing, here are some much more fascinating world record holding cars.

The Big Banana

Steve Braithwaite holds the record for the world’s largest banana car when he took apart a 1983 Ford F-150 pickup and converted it into the fruit on wheels. It took Steve and his friends over two years to make the giant banana out of rebar, chicken wire, and foam, before showing it off to the world. Apparently, it’s also the world’s only four-wheel-drive banana. Who woulda thought?

Coffee Car

Imagine driving a car powered by coffee? Well, that’s exactly what happened when someone decided to modify a 1988 VW Sirocco to run on coffee. The car was then driven around 200 miles from London to Manchester powered solely by Java. It broke the world record for the longest journey by a coffee-powered car. And probably the only journey, right?

The Longest Limo

Jay Ohrberg was a custom designer known for making some rather cool cars, including K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider and the famous DeLorean from Back to the Future. However, it seemed as though he wanted to take his designs one step further when he created ‘The American Dream.’ This 100-foot-long limo had two engines, a swimming pool and diving board, and even a helipad. It really is a sight to behold!

While fast cars are fun, there’s nothing that quite beats these world record holding cars. From coffee to bananas, and limos with pools, these are some interesting records for sure.