The Peugeot 908 HDi FAP is a sports prototype racing car built by the French automobile manufacturer Peugeot to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race, starting in 2007 and eventually winning in 2009. This effort, in development since 2005, was publicly unveiled on 15 June 2006. It first competed against the Audi R10 TDI, becoming the second diesel engined sports car from a major manufacturer, and then against the Audi R15 TDI. This was Peugeot Sport's first Le Mans effort since the end of the Peugeot 905 project in 1993. It won 19 from the 28 races in which it raced between 2007 and 2011.
"908 HDi FAP" reads as follows: 908 deals with the 90x series for racing cars at Peugeot; HDi is the acronym for [English] "High Pressure Direct Injection" (French: Injection directe à haute pression) and FAP is the acronym for [French] "Filtre à particules" (English: particulate filter"). The 908 name is also shared with a Peugeot concept saloon/sedan, named the 908RC, which shares the diesel V12 engine from the 908 sportscar and with the successor sports prototype racing car of Peugeot for 2011 season, simply named "908". The Peugeot 908 is not to be confused with another sportscar of the same number that successfully raced from 1968 to 1981, the Porsche 908.
At the 2008 1000 km of Silverstone, Peugeot Sport unveiled the 908 HY, a hybrid electric variant of the diesel 908, with KERS. Peugeot planned to campaign the car in the 2009 Le Mans Series season, even though it would not be capable of scoring championship points, but gave up the idea to concentrate on preparation for the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Design
Chassis
As part of new rules announced by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) on 16 June 2006 which encouraged closed cockpit Le Mans Prototypes, Peugeot unveiled the 908 with a closed cockpit, the first Le Mans Prototype (LMP) since the Bentley Speed 8 to race with such a design. Peugeot's choice of a closed cockpit is possibly intended to allow the 908 to run a larger air restrictor due to rules mandating the use of air conditioning on closed cockpit designs.
Peugeot also felt that weight, centre of gravity, and operational drawbacks were able to be overcome by better chassis rigidity and aerodynamics with using a closed cockpit design. The cockpit uses a unique 2 part door system with the upper part of the door (the window) swinging forward and out with a hinged plate (part of the sidepod) forming the lower part of the door that can be either swung out or removed completely, this was reportedly done to allow the car to conform to current regulations regarding door size. The body is a carbon fibre monocoque instead of a conventional open structure to offer better rigidity and lower weight. Front and rear suspension are linked, steering is electrically powered, magnesium wheels come from BBS. The car measures × and weighs minimum. Peugeot announced they would build the 908 chassis themselves, instead of relying on another manufacturer to build it for them.
Drivetrain
The Peugeot 908 is powered by a HDi diesel engine, the maximum size allowed by Le Mans Prototype rules. Its configuration is a 100° V12, the angle having been chosen to lower the center of gravity. Its output has been revealed to be over and of torque, nearly 10% more than Audi's similar R10 TDI.
Oil systems are developed by technical partner TotalEnergies. The electro-pneumatic controlled gearbox, designed and built by Ricardo, is longitudinal with a maximum of 6 gear ratios, and the differential is self-locking.
908 Hybrid Electric
In 2009, Peugeot developed 908 HY, a hybrid electric version of the 908 diesel. The 908 HY adds a electric motor, replacing the car's standard starter motor. The motor is powered by 600 lithium ion batteries which are located in the cockpit and on the left bottom of the car. The batteries are charged through regenerative braking, requiring approximately 20 to 30 seconds to recharge.
The electric motor can be used to provide extra power to the car for approximately 20 seconds, either automatically or through driver activation. The motor can also run on its own while the car is entering a pit lane, shutting the diesel motor off to conserve fuel. The electrical systems add approximately to the weight of the standard 908, although Peugeot believed they can lower this weight further.