A few months after its unveiling at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, Peugeot 208 R5 rally car successfully completes its first real world test session. It took on a gravel stage in the southeast of France and passed all the tests with flying colors. Peugeot Motorsport is making the car ready for launch in early 2013.
The R5 replaces the Super200 class in FIA’s calendar, and so the 208 replaces the old 207. The R5 to Peugeot 208 is sort of like the GT3 Cup model to the Porsche 911. Needless to say it’s a rally car that you can buy to either enter official championships and local rallies, or just have fun with, if you happen to have a large garden!
The specs of this car is just mouthwatering. Complying with the new rules, it has a 1.6 liter engine, but it makes 280 hp and 400 Nm of torque. It comes with a five-speed sequential manual gearbox, and four-wheel-drive with two locking differential. It’s a recipe for huge fun.
Other features include an FIA-spec roll bar, Pseudo MacPherson racing seats, Alcon brakes, 18-inch wheels in tarmac setup and 15-inch for gravel.
“That first run was a key step which is now behind us,” says Alexis Avril, technical manager of Peugeot Sport’s customer competition department. “We still have a great deal of work on our hands, though, since we now need to move on to the next phase of development. This will involve putting as many kilometres on the car’s clock as possible in order to validate its reliability. After that, we will be able to turn our attention to the optimisation of its performance potential. Between now and the 208 Type R5’s release for sale, its schedule includes more than 10,000km of testing on gravel and asphalt, in testing and on events.
