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Peugeot's radical Dakar contender

Peugeot unveiled its 2015 Dakar contender, based on 2008 and set to take on the mighty Minis - the 2008 DKR.

It’s been a while since we’ve been wowed like this; the Peugeot 2008 DKR is quite astonishing to say the least.

IMAGE GALLERY: 2015 Peugeot 2008 DKR
VIDEO: 2015 Peugeot 2008 DKR unleashed

The 2008 Dakar contender follows hot on the heels of Peugeot’s last crazy idea where they blasted a new record time at Pike’s Peak with Sebastien Loeb behind the wheel of a modified 208.

Peugeot is no newbie to Dakar having won the event four times, twice with the 205 and then they did the double with the famous Camel yellow 405 in ‘89 and ’90.

TWO WHEEL DRIVE?

It’s a raging debate at the moment in the world of Rally Raid as there are advantages and disadvantages to both forms of drive. Peugeot has opted for 2WD on its 2008 DKR.

Peugeot-Sport project leader, Jean-Christophe Pailler, said: “We carried out an in-depth analysis of what already existed in the world of cross-country rallying and weighed up the benefits of the different solutions.

"In the end, we opted for an approach that was quite different to that of the competition. Given the off-road capability of two-wheel drive transmission and its ability to run on sand, that’s the choice we ultimately went for. It enabled us to fit bigger wheels and also to benefit from more suspension travel. The 2008 DKR consequently sits on 37-inch diameter Michelin tyres (almost 94cm)."

'IT'S MORE COUPE' THAN SUV

The technical rules of Rally Raid prescribe a lot of what cars should look like so the designers of the 2008 DKR had to think outside the box.

Peugeot 2008’s DKR designer, Giovanni Rizzo, said: “There were two ways we could have approached this task: either by taking a standard 2008 and grafting on bespoke parts, or else by drawing inspiration from the 2008’s defining overall forms to design a car that covered the constraints inherent in its mission.

"We eventually decided to go down the second path to produce a fresh take on the 2008. For example, the 2008 DKR doesn’t have rear doors, so it’s more like what a coupé version of the model might be.”

In March 2014, Peugeot announced that drivers Carlos Sainz and Cyril Despres would compete in 2015 Dakar Rally. The veterans, as well as sponsors Red Bull and Total, will take on dominant Minis for the win.

Peugeot is keeping details on its engine under wraps but expect some form of diesel to be under the hood of this hardcore 2008 DKR.
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