Pikes Peak rally car a sexy winged warrior …

I have to admit that European rally cars, the little high-powered mini racers with big engines and wings to match, fascinate me visually. They look tough and aggressive and fast and fun.

Now Autoart releases a sharp all black 1/18 scale version of the Peugeot 208 T16 that was raced up Pikes Peak here in the U.S. in 2013. It looks like it rocks with a giant wing on an equally giant pedestal and with tires so fat they look like they’d hold on to any road even if the car were upside down.

This is a beautiful little beast! Here’s the story on it.

The History

Rally superstar Sebastien Loeb (9 titles) was chosen to run this custom built Peugeot up Colorado’s Pikes Peak in 2013 to challenge the record time of 9:46.164 set a year earlier by Rhys Millen. Loeb crushed it, making the 19.9 km run in 8:13.878.

The French Peugeot had to straighten 156 corners while climbing to Pikes Peak’s summit. The video is amazing (insert it), as there is no guard rail along the route that the likes of Bobby Unser and most of the other Unser clan have proven themselves champions through the years.

The modified 208 is what Peugeot called an “out-and-out endurance racing prototype” with a 3.2-liter twin-turbo V6 that creates 875 horsepower in a car that weighs just 875 kilograms (1,929 lbs.) for a 1:1 power to weight ratio. It featured a six-speed manual transmission, carbon brakes and 2-meter wide wing.

Performance? Peugeot says the Pikes Peak car does 0-62 mph in 1.8 seconds and 0-150 mph in seven seconds.

The 4-wheel-drive racer was built on a tubular chassis with a mid-rear engine position and the driver and steering wheel just to the left of center for balance. There’s a special push-rod suspension and underbody tray that provides half the car’s downforce, plus that big wing.

The Model

Autoart’s composite diecast model is both simple and complex and unlike a few of its other composite cars, the doors open to reveal its sparse safety-conscious interior.

The racer is bathed in a matte black finish with the only markings being the broad Peugeot decal atop the windshield and the car maker’s name on its giant rear wing with what looks to be monstrous carbon fiber and metal struts supporting the wing and being based in a tubular support system inside the rear window where you also can see the suspension system and that horsey twin-turbo engine with its bulging carbon fiber ducts that link to the air scoop atop the roof.

There are head and taillights, plus a chrome trim line running from the windshield’s base in the A-pillar to just beyond the rear window. It looks great on the satin black body. The Peugeot features a hulking nose spoiler that looks as if it’d scoop up any wildlife along the way, up to bison in size. Aero panels run along the car’s sides with silver bolts visible and a matte silver exhaust port on each.

Massive slick tires are labeled Michelins and are housed on impressive black multi-spoke race wheels. You can see through them to the giant metallic brake rotors and gold Brembo-labeled calipers.

Inside the nose’s gaping mouth is a huge radiator to cool this beast as it charged up the mountain. There are no other accutrements like mirrors or chrome door handles. Those handles are matte black and sunken into the doors. There are four chrome hinges for the rear quarter panels and roof so that in the on-track version those can easily be popped off to work on the engine and rear suspension.

Inside is a stark black interior with race seat, thick race three-spoke steering wheel and an electronic readout screen bolted to the dash. Some chrome controls are visible on the bulked up console with wires pouring out of it and there’s a fire canister inside, just in case. There are more controls on a wide panel between the driver’s seat and the driver’s side door too.

This Peugeot looks ready to race and in satin black looks as beastly as it truly was!

Vital Stats: 2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak (black)

Maker: Autoart

Scale: 1/18

Stock No.: 81356

MSRP: $130

Link: autoartmodels.com