It’s a stunning, almost art deco, four-seater powered by what is basically a full-tilt Le Mans race engine. The 5.5-litre 100-degree V12 HDI DPFS (for diesel particulate filter system) engine is, in itself, a work of art.
And a racetrack-proven one at that. The twin turbocharged diesel engine makes more than 515kW and more than 1200Nm – a staggering amount of torque.
It’s packaged pretty cleverly too. It’s behind the cabin, although mid-mounted in relation to the wheelbase, and transverse. Not only that, but the compact six-speed sequential transmission is located underneath the engine. This positioning allows a high-capacity boot to sit behind the final drive assembly.
The 908 RC sits on a combination of 20-spoke wheels measuring 20 inches in diameter at the front and 21 at the rear. The feline impression of the car overall is enhanced by the trademark Peugeot badge (a lion, naturally), while the designers drew inspiration from the big cats in the sculpting of the bonnet and the stance of the car overall.
The glazed surface area is massive. It measures three square metres in an effort to blur the boundary between inside and out. The huge front screen allows an unimpeded field of vision forward, as in the RC concept cars, as it stretches back behind the driver’s head.
Inside, a large MMI (Man/Machine Interface) facilitates the control of all secondary functions – radio, MP3 player, sat-nav, climate control etc.
The 908 RC is built on a pre-impregnated carbon composite and vacuum-polymerised honeycomb platform. This brain-bending material minimizes weight while maximizing strength, while at the rear there’s a self-supporting shell with a tubular sub-frame to house the engine, transmission and suspension.
Front and rear suspension are drop-link, double wishbone type derived from the 407, while the brakes are based around four monobloc ceramic carbon composite rotors to cut weight and boost high-temperature endurance. The 20- and 21-inch wheels are shod with Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 255/35 and 285/30 tyres respectively.
The 908 RC takes airflow very seriously. A split front air intake ducts cooling air to each of the car’s two radiators. It also improves aerodynamic performance via an inbuilt venting system.
The engine’s air inlet vents are located in the rear quarter panels, while cooling air for the twin turbo-intercoolers is drawn from the rear wheel arches, and subsequently ejected from vents behind the wheel arches.
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