Concepts that time forgot: the Peugeot 908 RC

You can calm down for a start, there’s probably a Zoom link you can use. And what are you doing on TopGear.com? Anyway, back in 2006 such newfangled technologies weren’t as irritatingly widespread, you’d actually have to meet people in person. If you had expensive tastes and were pressed for time, Peugeot had just the thing for you, the 908 RC concept that was revealed at the 2006 Paris motor show. A literal fusion of endurance racing car and plush executive limo.

Peugeot said that the 908 RC actually got its name because of its V12 HDi DPFS. The eagle-eyed among you will have noted that nowhere in that engine specification are the numbers 9, 0 or 8 – Peugeot chose the name because the same diesel engine was set to power its Le Mans racer in 2007 – also called the 908 – and obviously it was keen to draw some parallels between track and road. 

The windscreen is the thing you immediately notice on the 908 RC, with funny little A-pillars dashing down for the door at the last second allowing an imperious view of the road. Of course, with all that fancy bendy glass you won’t want to drive over 30mph in case you get an expensive chip. The cabin is as chic as you like, with four leather bucket seats, a fancy clock and an early example of the Massive Touchscreen That Controls Everything. The glovebox is air-conditioned, ensuring the manual and free ballpoint pen remain cool to the touch.

Well, there’s room for a carry-on bag, actually, or perhaps a Luis Vuitton duffel if you’re on your way to the south coast (of France, we’re not heading to Bournemouth in this thing). The transverse 5.5-litre twin-turbo diesel engine isn’t actually under the bonnet, but sits centrally mounted at the rear of the passenger cabin, producing a hefty 691bhp and 885lb ft of torque. Mounted underneath the engine is a six-speed electronically operated sequential gearbox, beefed up to deal with all that torque. 

Well, that mid-mounted engine is actually further forward than you think, and Peugeot claimed the position of the motor allowed it to create a ‘large capacity’ boot right at the back of the car, all without impacting on the cabin space. Presumably there are no folding seats or one of those little hatches in the middle seat for skis that no one has ever used. On the plus side there is a frunk.

Ooh la la, this was the era of big-faced Pugs, remember – huge headlights with gaping maw below. All turned up to 11 on the 908 RC concept, although this car does have two diesel particulate filters fitted to the exhausts, so it must be alright. Proving they aren’t immune to little flights of whimsy, the designers fitted the car with huge 20-inch alloys at the front of the car and even bigger 21-inch numbers at the back, describing the overall effect of the car as ‘that of a big cat’. Presumably the car also sleeps 23 hours a day and won’t do a thing that you tell it to.  

You mean apart from trying to graft the back end of a Le Mans car onto the front of an executive saloon? Well, Peugeot seems to have gone full cat lady with the feline cues, claiming the bonnet is intended to resemble the head of a big cat, the front wings represent its cheeks (but no whiskers here) and the massive LED headlights are supposed to twinkle like a cat’s eyes. It gets creepier – the little vents by the nose of the car are supposed to be like little cat nostrils. Alright, Peugeot, we get it, your logo is a cat. Next up, we’ve got an Audi concept where the wheels are designed to evoke four rings...

The 908 sort of did go into production, with Peugeot building its 908 endurance racer between 2007 and 2011. It won two titles in the Le Mans Series as well as the 2009 24 Hours before the programme was canned in 2012 because of the stalling economy. Sadly French luxo-barges have never done particularly well outside of the country’s civil service – the last big Peugeot we saw in the UK was the 607, which was taken off sale in 2008. When it was time to replace that car, it was merged with the 407 to become the 508 (a happier middle ground) in 2010. So you see a 908 limo was never really on the cards. Quelle dommage.