With their perfect combination of car and driver, Peugeot stands a good chance of not only winning this year’s Pikes Peak hill climb event, but also set a new record. They have a purpose-built 208 T16, and rally master Sebastien Loeb to drive it. The Frenchman recently drove the T16 for the first time and was very impressed with its capabilities.

The T16 may look slightly like a 208 city car, but it is a bespoke machine built to go up the Pikes Peak hill as quickly as possible. It boasts an 875bhp engine right in the middle, which given the overall weight of 875 kg results in a power to weight ratio of 1:1. That enables it to a 0-62mph (100kph) time of 1.8s, and cornering and braking capabilities of a Formula 1 car.

Loeb’s Comments:

“The 208 T16 Pikes Peak is a rocket! It’s so powerful! The first time you drive it, each gear change practically stuns you. The shifts are really brutal, and it takes a little time to anticipate the sudden jarring. You get used to it, but it was quite disorienting to begin with.”

“In the lower gears, a Formula 1 car doesn’t deliver maximum power. With the Peugeot, though, it’s bang, bang, bang as you move up the box from standstill. Due to its four-wheel drive transmission and turbocharged engine, its pull-away performance is phenomenal! You find yourself in sixth gear at 150mph in no time at all!”