We're in second. The test track at Mortefontaine, outside Paris, is damp, so let's squeeze the throttle… Well, the exhaust system certainly isn't standard, because the tailpipe emits a hearty bellow and we're launched with ballistic instantaneity towards the red-and-white bollards that mark the end of the straight. The turbo is a twin-scroll unit, so exhaust pulses from cylinders one and three enter the turbine via one duct, from two and four via the other. That minimises pulse interference and response lag, to the extent that in this featherweight machine the engine feels like a very gutsy 2.0-litre.
Amazingly, the 20Cup is getting its power down even on the wet surface, and there's no torque-steer at all. There's a lot of surge and snatch in the transmission, though: transverse-engine racing cars are often like that, the 20Cup's low mass making it all the more obvious. The upside is a fantastically quick gearchange, helped by a clutch with an ultra-short travel.
 |
| Peugeot better than most at making fully-functioning concept cars |
 |
Now those cones are approaching, I throttle-blip down through the gears and aim for the turnaround loop. And… ouch! I've got my right hand jammed between the steering wheel and the centre spine and my turn has turned out very untidy indeed. Come to think of it, the steering isn't the 20Cup's best feature, because it's a road car's power-assisted rack and such a light car needs neither power assistance nor such big armfuls for tight turns.
"But it's not a problem most of the time," says Bolle-Reddat, "because you don't normally need more than a quarter turn of the wheel."
Fair enough. And I must say the 20Cup does have remarkable front end grip and traction on these wet-weather racing tyres ("Enough to take 200bhp," says M Bolle-Reddat) - even if it's a shame that powerslides are clearly off the agenda, it being front-wheel drive and all. Slow in, fast out seems to be the key.
Now I'm watching the 20Cup circulate as the rain continues, a giant rooster-tail of spray spurting up from the back wheel as it does its jet-ski impression.
Could the 20Cup ever be used out on the road? Jean-Christophe Bolle-Reddat has clearly thought along these lines - the 907 ventured out into the real world, after all - and he's also thought it might be fun to run a 20Cup race series.
What an excellent idea that would be.
