Peugeot has revealed the official images of their Dakar Rally challenger – the 2008 DKR. Peugeot recruited two Dakar rally legends, Carlos Sainz and Cyril Despres, to drive two units of the 2008 DKR in the world toughest rally event in South America.
The Peugeot 2008 DKR is essentially the 2008 crossover with added muscle and huge Michelin tyres. As we can see in the images here, apart from Red Bull which is essentially from Austria, the Peugeot Dakar project is entirely French, with tyres from Michelin and fuel by France petroleum company, Total, and not forgetting the car is from France too.
The French are well-known for their innovative take on cars and this one is no exception. While the majority of Dakar rally cars are all-wheel drive, Peugeot decided to do otherwise by moving to two-wheel drive, with claims that such a configuration allows bigger 37-inch wheels to be fitted which handles the sand dunes better. The 2008 DKR doesn’t have rear doors, so technically it is a coupe rather than a crossover.
Two-time World Rally Champion and 2010 Dakar Rally winner, Carlos Sainz, is already loving this concept for his 2015 machine. “The philosophy behind the 2008 DKR marks a radical break and packs a high number of new ideas. The end result is like no other two-wheel drive car. It is very compact and that’s good. Having done the last two Dakars in a two-wheel drive car, I am convinced it is a solution that can win the event.” said Sainz.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3_s26Pc36TY
[Source: Motorsports.com]
