This has to be one of the most exciting concepts that Peugeot revealed in the last few years.
We are talking about the Onyx which will be showcased at the end of the month in Paris. This is a rear-drive, mid-engined sports car manufactured from unprocessed raw materials and some of the technology used comes from the company’s Le Mans prototype.
The doors and the wings are manually built from copper sheet, while other panels are produced by using carbon fiber. As an alternative to glass, the roof and the windows are made from a lightweight acrylic.
As a result, the Peugeot Onyx has a curb weight of 1,100 kg and it is built around a central carbon structure where the V8 3.7-liter HDI FAP engine, as well as the suspension has been bolted. The power unit is capable of producing 600 bhp and sends the power with the help of the 6-speed sequential transmission.
The car benefits from the kinetic energy recovery system which can channel the braking energy into lithium-ion batteries, and after that it automatically discharges that power while the car is accelerating, thus increasing the output of the engine by an extra 80 bhp.
The Onyx is 4650mm long, 1130mm high and 2200mm wide, featuring a drag coefficient of 0.30. We should also mention that the passenger compartment is manufactured from compressed felt and has been formed as a one-piece pod, without any joins and stitching. Wood obtained from recycled newspapers has been used for making the dashboard.
