- Three electric motors deliver 816 hp and 0-62 mph in 2.5 seconds.
- An 85-kWh battery provides up to 248 miles of WLTP electri range.
- Radical styling and steer-by-wire tech preview next-generation E-208.
Peugeot has a long history of building some seriously fun and somewhat bonkers hot hatches. That said, this latest creation makes some of the crazier things it’s built look downright sensible. This is the E-T16 Concept, an electric monster that pays tribute to Peugeot’s legendary 205 T16 rally car. It can hit 186 mph (300 kmh) in just 16 seconds, has three electric motors, and looks like something that escaped from a Group B fever dream. And Peugeot says that some of its tech and styling will actually reach production.
The new concept celebrates 40 years since Peugeot’s 205 T16 won consecutive World Rally Championships in 1985 and 1986. That T16 remains one of the most recognisable machines from the Group B era, and the new E-T16 isn’t shy in its reverence. Peugeot Sport says it’s the start of a new breed of “Hyperhatch.” That’s a category I think most of us can get behind.
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The E-T16 uses three electric motors, with one driving the front wheels and two powering the rear. Together, they produce 815 hp (608 kW), making this the most powerful Peugeot ever built. That power translates into a 0-62 mph (100 kmh) time of just 2.5 seconds, which even the original Group B rally weapons would struggle to match. There’s more to the engineering than straight-line speed, too.
The concept features torque vectoring across both axles, three driving modes, and a fourth customizable setting. It also gets 15-inch (380 mm) brake discs at all four corners, Michelin tires measuring 275 mm up front and 315 mm at the rear, and a vertically mounted hydraulic handbrake. Perfect for those tough hairpin turns on the Col de Turini.
A new battery cooling system that extracts heat via the sides of the cells, rather than at the base, ensures you can stay at rally pace for longer. Peugeot says the change allows the car to do three consecutive laps at the Nürburgring Nordschleife without dropping power output. Just three laps? If you ever needed a reminder of just how differently combustion cars can approach long stints on a race track, there it is.
Group B Swagger
Visually, the E-T16 takes plenty of inspiration from its famous ancestor. The widened fenders, enormous rear wing, and aggressively sculpted bodywork are clear nods. Winchester Matte Grey paint, silver wheels, and a red illuminated stripe that wraps around the body, are additional hat tips to the original 205 T16.
The rear end swings up just like it did on the original rally car, but this time there’s not a gas engine back there but an electric powertrain. The bodywork also incorporates a rear diffuser with adjustable aerodynamic blades, massive front cooling intakes, and a floating C-pillar designed to direct airflow toward the rear. Again, this isn’t a production car, but boy, oh boy, did Peugeot lay the groundwork for one that would have us all reaching for our check books.
The design previews what we can expect of the next-gen E-208, albeit in a less macho form, Peugeot says. The 2027 production hatch gets the same horizontal interpretation of Peug three-claw lighting signature and the cabin also hints at where future road cars are headed. A curved 21-inch panoramic display stretches across the dashboard, while Peugeot’s unusual Hypersquare steering wheel dominates the cabin.
Steer-By-Wire
That wheel isn’t only interesting because of its shape. It’s connected – or not, as it happens – to the front wheels via steer-by-wire tech. The production E-208 will get the same Hypersquare wheel and steer-by-wire technology. Hopefully a GTI variant might also get the configurable display. Whether or not it’ll also get the carbon fiber bucket seats is less certain.
Peugeot customers have a lot to look forward to even if just a little of this concept’s design and tech makes it to production. But it would be a crying shame if the brand didn’t put something like the E-T16 into production, having now given us a glimpse of what’s possible.