Details of Cars

Peugeot RC: the diesel sports car concept of 2002

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Peugeot RC HYbrid4 concept
The 2009 Peugeot RC HYmotion4 concept, the later car to carry the RC name. Photo by order_242 from Chile, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Peugeot RC is a concept car that Peugeot introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 2002. It was a mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive sports car shown in two versions.

Peugeot RC at a glance

Peugeot RC key facts
Type concept sports car
Shown Geneva Motor Show, 2002
Layout mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
Versions Spade (black, petrol) and Diamond (red, diesel)
Spade engine 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four, 181 bhp
Diamond engine 2.2-litre diesel, same performance
Body carbon fibre, 900 kg
Gearbox six-speed sequential
Brakes ceramic discs
0–97 km/h 6.0 seconds
Diesel economy 4.1 l/100 km

based on one short source

History of the Peugeot RC

Two cars, one shape

Peugeot RC Hybrid 4
The rear of the RC HYmotion4 concept. Photo by Ben, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The RC was shown at Geneva in 2002 as a mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive sports car in two versions. The black Spade used a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine with 181 bhp. The red Diamond used a 2.2-litre diesel that gave the same performance but different driving and ride characteristics. Both had a six-speed sequential gearbox, a carbon-fibre body weighing 900 kg, ceramic disc brakes and a 0–97 km/h time of 6.0 seconds.

Reception

The bodywork, designed by the Peugeot Style Centre, was praised as graceful and imaginative and influenced later Peugeot cars. The diesel Diamond was quoted at 4.1 l/100 km, an impressive figure for a car with sporting ambitions. The BBC programme Top Gear, not known for liking diesels, reviewed the Diamond in 2002 and Richard Hammond said it was possibly the first proper diesel sports car.

The later hybrid

At the 2009 Paris Motor Show Peugeot presented a new RC concept, a hybrid electric sports sedan similar in layout to the Chevrolet Volt. It could run on electric power alone for long periods, with the hybrid system filling in when more range was needed, and its RC HYmotion4 system had a 70 kW electric motor driving the front wheels.

Design and features

  • Two versions: petrol Spade and diesel Diamond with equal performance.
  • Light carbon body: 900 kg in total.
  • Diesel efficiency: 4.1 l/100 km from the Diamond.
  • Ceramic brakes: racing hardware on a concept car.
  • Hybrid successor: the 2009 RC concept used the HYmotion4 system.

Peugeot RC versions

  • RC Spade (2002): black, 2.0-litre petrol, 181 bhp.
  • RC Diamond (2002): red, 2.2-litre diesel.
  • RC HYmotion4 (2009): hybrid sports sedan concept.

The RC’s ideas reached production in the RCZ, and its hybrid system was related to the one sold in the 508. More in the Peugeot collection.

Sources

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