Peugeot unveils Loeb's Pikes Peak car

Peugeot has unveiled the first images of the 208 T16 with which Sebastien Loeb will compete in this year's Pikes Peak hillclimb.

As revealed by AUTOSPORT, the nine-time World Rally champion will drive in the unlimited class of this year's June 30 event.

Peugeot, which won the event with the sensational 405 T16 in 1988 and '89, made a late call to return to the Pikes Peak.

The new 208 is therefore still a 'silhouette design', with the livery likely to change. The rear wing borrows from the now-expired Le Mans 24 Hours-winning 908.

More photos of the Peugeot 208

"I am very proud to have played a part in this adventure, especially since we didn't have much time to work on the car's design," chief designer Michael Trouve said.

"Peugeot Sport provided us with a number of technical constraints, such as the width, body height, location of the wheels and engine, and we worked to this brief to produce an extreme take on the 208.

"Its proportions are very different to those of the production 208, [which] gives it an almost beast-like appearance."

The precise specification of the car is yet to be revealed, but it is likely to run around 600bhp.

Loeb will compete for the first time on the Pikes Peak this year on June 30.

The 12.42-mile route up Pikes Peak features 156 corners in an ascent from 2,800 to 4,300 metres. It has been resurfaced completely in asphalt for the first time this year.