Meet the Legends: Peugeot

Peugeot’s history in motorsport dates back almost 130 years, and right from the outset, the brand was a winner. That success has been maintained over the intervening decades – in rallying, rallycross, cross-country contests and endurance racing, with Le Mans triumphs in 1992, 1993 and 2009 for the 905 and 908 prototypes. There was even a trio of victories in the early years of America’s iconic Indianapolis 500.

Including insightful interviews with Peugeot Sport Technical Director Olivier Jansonnie, Peugeot Head of Design Matthias Hossann, Team Peugeot TotalEnergies racer Loïc Duval – a former Le Mans winner and FIA World Endurance Champion – and FIA WEC specialist Sam Smith, ‘Allure Born to Race’ explores the importance of competition for the world’s oldest car company.

Recognising the crucial role motorsport is able to play as a laboratory for technological development – yielding breakthroughs that can then be carried across to its road-going models – pioneering Peugeot has been part of the current WEC adventure since 2022.

Ever the innovator, the French firm took full advantage of the freedoms afforded by the championship’s regulations to truly push the boundaries in the design of its originally wingless 9X8 – a unique and daring proposition in the Hypercar field.

While a rear wing was subsequently added earlier this year, the car’s visual identity remains undiluted. From its feline silhouette to its cutting-edge lighting signature, this is unmistakeably a Peugeot through-and-through.

And now, as WEC continues to go from strength-to-strength in a new ‘golden age’ for endurance racing, Peugeot remains very much part of the story. Off the back of an encouraging end to the 2024 campaign with top four finishes in Japan and Bahrain, and as it bids to add to its previous glories at La Sarthe over the coming years, the Lion is getting ready to roar once more...

You can watch the episode here.