The wingless wonder Peugeot hopes will restore it to Le Mans glory

Peugeot went radical with the initial plan for its Le Mans Hypercar project, and then stuck to its guns. Here’s how things are shaping up a few weeks before the debut of the 9X8 in next month's Monza World Endurance Championship round

Gary Watkins Jun 1, 2022, 4:39 PM

Peugeot made a big splash back in July 2021 when it revealed the initial images of the car that will take it back to the pinnacle of sportscar racing for the first time since 2011. And the cynics argued that showing a car without a conventional rear wing was an attempt to achieve just that. It would never race like that, they shouted.

Ten months on, the new 9X8 Le Mans Hypercar that will carry Peugeot’s hopes in the World Endurance Championship has been launched, is close to being homologated, has a date set for its debut in July… and there’s no rear wing.

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Author Gary Watkins

Gary Watkins has, for reasons best known to himself, devoted all his working life to covering sportscar racing. This season is his 32nd as a motorsport journalist, during which time he has reported on major long-distance events on four continents and approaching 75 24-hour races. He reckons a degree in political philosophy makes him well qualified for covering the sometimes Machiavellian world of international sportscars.

Gary, who also writes for Autoweek, Motor Sport, Autocourse, RACER and others, lives in Surbiton but spends more time on the road than at home for most of the year.