Benefits from a 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo diesel engine, now with more power
Improved aerodynamics with revisions to the bonnet and roof-mounted air-intake
Peugeot Sport has unveiled an updated version of its two-wheel, 2008 DKR that made its debut on the Dakar Rally earlier this year.
The latest evolution of the car, which is scheduled to make its competitive debut later in the year before heading to South America for the 2016 Dakar, is longer, wider, lower and more powerful than its predecessor.
Peugeot Sport states that the car’s maneuverability off-road has been improved thanks to reduced front and rear overhangs, whilst a revised aerodynamics package sees the 2008 gain a new bonnet and revised roof-mounted air-intake design.
The 2008 DKR16 is claimed to have an improved weight distribution, as well as magnesium one-piece wheels for the first time, matched to lighter tyres from Michelin. These replace the aluminium two-piece wheels from last year, with the combination resulting in a ‘significant’ weight saving.
Peugoet Sport states that the the car’s development began as soon as the original car crossed the finish ramp in Buenos Aires just over seven months ago, at the conclusion of this year’s Dakar.
The improvements have been gradually introduced to the car, and assessed through a series of tests, which culminated in a one-two finish for Peugeot at the China Silk Road Rally, using an interim-specification car. This was essentially the 2015 model with a number of development parts for 2016 added.
“There isn’t one big change that we have made on our car: instead it has been a series of small evolutions in different areas, which together we hope will amount to an overall improvement,” explained Peugeot Sport director Bruno Famin. “The areas we have concentrated on include bodywork and aerodynamics – as a result of which the car looks slightly different compared to last year – as well as engine and suspension, which is all under the skin. The tests we have carried out up to now, as well as our one-two finish in China recently, indicate that we are heading in the right direction. You really cannot compare our state of preparation now to how it was for our first Dakar this time last year, when everything was new to us! Of course you can never say that you are completely ready for the Dakar either, because you simply never know what it will throw at you, but certainly this time we are more ready.”
