Puegot RC Concept

The Peugeot RC hybrid concept mixes driving fun with environmental friendliness. By Mike Monticello • Photos by John Lamm

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Slideshow: Peugeot RC Concept >> Video: Peugeot RC Concept >> Slideshow: Best of Paris 2008 >> French automaker Peugeot says the RC concept at this year's Paris auto show is the missing link between the RC Spades/RC Diamonds mid-engine concepts from the 2002 Geneva show and the 908 RC from the 2006 Paris show. Slideshow >> The latest Peugeot RC concept is "a working laboratory of many future ideas and brings together numerous stylistic, engineering and technological ideas all in a single vehicle," according to the manufacturer. You'll remember the RC Spades and RC Diamonds from 2002 were rear/mid-engine sports cars, the Spades using a gasoline engine and the Diamonds a diesel. The 908 RC, on the other hand, was a luxury 4-door powered by a 700-bhp 12-cylinder turbodiesel from the Le Mans race car, the engine also mounted aft of the passenger compartment. Although Peugeot's latest RC is also a 4-door with four seats, Peugeot is quick to join so many other manufacturers in calling it a "GT Coupe," as opposed to a sedan. Unlike the outrageous 908 RC, the newest RC sports a hybrid drivetrain. Peugeot says the RC concept could theoretically develop a maximum power of 313 bhp from what the company is calling "a highly innovative hybrid architecture." Therefore the RC will have minimal impact on the environment, whether run in its gasoline/electric mode or fully electric. While the RC concept showcases of future technologies and styling themes, this Peugeot is more about proving that environmentally friendly vehicles can also be fun to drive.