Once you’ve conquered the mountain with a nine-time World Rally Champion, your next step is to conquer the desert. That is what Peugeot will be looking to do when it returns to the infamous Dakar Rally in 2015.
Before you begin clambering for information, so far all driver line-ups, vehicle specs and support crew information have been contracted into the below sub-minute teaser clip. So that is to say, ‘naff all’ *. Speculation has already mounted though that the 208 – a T16 variant of which (well, not the road car obviously) took Sébastien Loeb to the top of Pikes Peak – may be ready to make a comeback with some massively modified suspension.
MINI, Toyota and Hummer may want to start quaking in their tyre covers. The last time Peugeot hit the Dakar, it brought them four-straight victories from 1987 to 1990, the most famous of which – Ari Vatanen’s successful climb in 1987 aboard the Peugeot 205 T16 – was the inspiration behind ‘Climb Dance’. Aside from two back-to-back victories for the Mitsubishi Pajero in 91-92, Peugeot and sister company Citroen took every overall Dakar win from 1987 to 1996.