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Peugeot Sport has officially unveiled the 2008 DKR, the car it hopes can help it recapture former Dakar glories. We would advise against heading down to your local Peugeot showroom looking for a road-going version however as, bar the name and the front lights and grille, the Dakar challenger shares little with the standard Peugeot 2008.
As Giovanni Rizzo, the 2008 DKR's exterior designer, explains, there were two possible ways to build the car that will be driven by Carlos Sainz, Stephane Peterhansel and Cyril Despres: "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."
However, like the road-going 2008 the DKR will be two- rather than four-wheel drive with Peugeot Sport ultimately opting for speed over sand rather than the traction provided by a four-wheel drive system. The decision meant that the engineers could fit whopping 37-inch diameter Michelin tyres and benefit from a longer suspension travel.
Anything else?
While it has revealed the look of the 2008 DKR and indeed its drive system, Peugeot Sport has not confirmed anything about what will power the car, or indeed where it will be mounted. There is some speculation that the rally car will feature a mid-mounted engine much like that of the 208 T16 that Sebastien Loeb took up Pikes Peak in record time last year and the large air intakes on the side of the car would certainly lend themselves to that idea.
Also no word on the engine itself though Peugeot Sport may follow the lead of MINI and fit its car with a diesel engine.