Diesel Powered Vehicle of the Week: The Peugeot 908 RC Concept Car

The history of Peugeot stretches all the way back to the era of Napoleon, birthed during the Napoleonic Wars in 1810 as a steel foundry than manufactured saws and hand tools. By the end of the 19th century they were making a variety of things including bicycles. With the dawn of the 20th century the transportation industry was born, and the company began making motorized cycles and automobiles. This wing of the company broke off to become its own entity in 1926.

Unlike Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, the Peugeot brand never gained a serious foothold in the U.S. Nevertheless their cars won numerous awards in Europe, including European Car of the Year at least six times. 

Within the auto industry there's a mystique about Concept Cars where ideas get unveiled at major car shows. Sometimes this unique specimens become a reality in a future iteration of a brand. Sometimes they do not. The car we're talking about today never made it to the street, but as a Concept Car is definitely generated buzz. We're talking about the Peugeot 908 RC Sedan Concept with a V12 diesel engine. 

The story that caught my eye was Vlad Radu's "15 Years Ago, Peugeot's Crazy 908 RC Sedan Concept with V12 Diesel Power" at the Autoevolution website. Radu details how the car came to be, and what made it such a stunning piece of machinery.

"While it didn't make it into production, Peugeot's 908 RC concept was a beautifully designed mid-engined sedan powered by a monstrous twin-turbo V12," Radu writes. "Even more surprisingly, the powerplant was designed for Peugeot's Le Mans race car, drank diesel and produced an astonishing amount of torque."

The 908 RC was introduced at the 2006 Paris Motor Show. The intent was "to create a luxury vehicle with an imposing design and make it outrageously fun to drive." Hence, we have a futuristic design with an imposing Le Mans-spec engine.

The engine is what gets your adrenaline flowing. It was a V12 HDi DPFS (diesel Particulate filter system) that had been developed for the 2007 24 hours of Le Mans. The engine was rated at 691 horsepower and generated 885 lb-feet of torque, which Radu staes is higher than the peak torque of our current-dya Pagani Huayra Roadster BC or the ll-electric Porsche Taycan Turbo S. (These two each produce 774 lb-ft.)

Due to its 100-degree V angle construction the car had a low center of gravity. The two particulate filters made it environmentally friendly, as well.

Because of its exceptional torque, the engine required a more muscular gearbox. The six-speed gearbox selected was an electronically controlled sequential system placed directly under the engine. It was designed to tame the wildest beast.

The interior of the car was high-tech, yet elegant. Ergonomically it was a winner as well, and the touch-screen integrated all the cars functions. Passengers in the rear were treated to a multimedia entertainment center experience as well. 

The only real drawback was price. The concept was enticing, but how big of a market would their be? Though Peugeot chose not to move forward on the 908 RC, they learned a lot from the experience, and whet the appetite for a future Peugeot in many hearts and garages.

Here is the full story, with lots of photos, of Peugeot's Crazy 908 RC Concept Car.