Peugeot L500
Peugeot L500
May 27, 2016 at 8:53am ET
Almost a century ago on May 30, 1916, the Peugeot L45 driven by Dario Resta took the win at the famous Indy 500 after managing an impressive average speed of 83.8 mph (135 kph). Fast forward to present day, Peugeot is celebrating the achievement by introducing the L500 R Hybrid concept which represents the brand's vision of tomorrow's racing.
The futuristic concept looks as if it's ready to join the Peugeot Vision Gran Turismo in GT6, but that won't be the case. The radically-styled L500 R Hybrid developed by Peugeot Sport is a tribute to the successful L45 and tries to see into the future of racing with a driver compartment engineered to form an individual floating capsule within the bodywork. While the L45 was a two-seater, the L500 R Hybrid is a more focused single-seater race car with a small steering wheel and a holographic i-Cockpit with two displays projected in dual discs.
Peugeot Sport has envisioned the concept with a powerful plug-in hybrid setup that combines a 270-hp gasoline engine with dual electric motors, one mounted at the front and the other in the back. The hardware arrangement is capable of delivering a combined output of 500 hp (368 kW) and 539 pound-feet (730 newton meters) of torque.
The hybrid punch helps the L500 R catapult from 0 to 62 mph (100 kph) in only two and a half seconds and cover 1,000 meters (0.62 miles) in just 19 seconds. The ultra-lightweight hybridized race car tips the scales at only 1,000 kilograms (2,204 pounds) and appears to be glued to the road thanks to the remarkably low height of only one meter (39.3 inches).
You can imagine the L500 R Hybrid is nothing more than a concept, but even so it's impressive to see how Peugeot Sport sees the future of racing.
Source: Peugeot
Gallery: Peugeot L500 R Hybrid
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L500 R HYbrid, how PEUGEOT sees the future of motor sport
On 30 May 1916, the PEUGEOT L45 driven by Dario Re ta won the mythical Indianapolis 500 race, at an average speed of 135 km/h. A hundred years later, PEUGEOT L500 R HYbrid, a futuristic interpretation of the Indy spirit, pays tribute to the incredible "Charlatans" team that brought PEUGEOT three superb US victories on the Indy 500 speedway from 1913 to 1919 .
A racing concept for intense driving sensations
PEUGEOT L500 R HYbrid hugs the asphalt to deliver its full potential right from pullaway. With its wide track, low profile (just one metre high) and light weight (1,000 kg), PEUGEOT L500 R HYbrid is made for performance: it takes just 2.5 seconds to reach 100 km/h from standstill, and 19 seconds to cover 1000 metres. Developped by PEUGEOT Sport teams, the 500-bhp plug-in hybrid petrol powertrain features two electric motors (one front and one rear) plus a 270 hp petrol engine, yielding peak torque of 730 Nm. Style-wise, the sleek lines run from the lion badge on the radiator grille toward the driver to end in a streamlined rear feature (a nod to the car's century-old ancestor) highlighting the three distinctive rear lamp claws that form part of Peugeot's design identity today.
Racing experience amplified through prospective vision of the PEUGEOT holographic i-Cockpit
Because the PEUGEOT L500 R HYbrid racing car is designed to be one with its driver, driving sensations are amplified by a driver compartment deliberately designed to form an individual floating capsule enclosed in the bodywork. Through a prospective concept, the PEUGEOT i-Cockpit technology takes a radical motorsport stance, with a small steering wheel embedded in the structure and two holograms showing information in dual disc displays. In their relentless quest for aerodynamic, the PEUGEOT teams reinterpreted the original L45 two-seat architecture to produce a single seater that offers a virtual co-pilot an amplified real-time racing experience through a virtual reality headset. The L500 R HYbrid is a timeless Peugeot, extending to the future with its forward- looking design, overtly acknowledging the past prowess of its predecessors, and proudly showing off some of Peugeot's present-day design identity features, such as the front light signature seen on the PEUGEOT 3008 SUV, or the striking blue and black colour scheme as a reference both to the 500-bhp petrol hybrid drivechain and to the colour of the original L45.
Source: https://www.motor1.com/news/63095/futuristic-peugeot-l500-r-hybrid-pays-tribute-to-100-year-old-race-car/
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