Team Peugeot Total has unveiled the livery for its 2016 Dakar challenger. The 2008 DKR has evolved from this year’s car, and now sits wider and lower, and is backed up by a more powerful powertrain.
The Peugeot’s new livery consists of the colours of all its partners in the Dakar project, capped by a silver-coloured roof for the first time: designed to reflect the harsh sunshine of the Argentine summer, where temperatures can exceed 50°C.
Peugeot states that the new livery underlines how many changes the car has undergone since it made its Dakar debut 11 months ago, with ‘evolutions both above and below the skin’ being made.
The new dimensions have significantly altered weight distribution, for example, with spare wheels now stored in the sidepods of the car, which has helped lower the 2008 DKR’s CoG.
“If the car goes as well as it looks, then we are certainly set for a strong year next year,” commented Peugeot Sport director Bruno Famin. “In its definitive livery, the new Peugeot 2008 DKR16 looks like it’s going really fast even when it’s standing still. We know that our cars will definitely have a strong visual presence on the Dakar: now it’s down to us as a team to make the most of that.”
The 38th Dakar Rally gets underway in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Saturday 2 January, before concluding in Rosario on Saturday 16 January.
