Alright, so I’ve been wanting to talk about my little project with the Peugeot 9X8 for a bit. It’s one of those things, you see something, and it just grabs you, you know? That’s what this car did to me. Not just watching it on a screen, I wanted to get a bit more hands-on, in my own way.
Getting Started with the Beast
First time I properly saw the 9X8, I was pretty blown away. That design, man! Especially the fact it had no massive rear wing like all the other Le Mans cars. That really caught my eye. I thought, “That’s brave, that’s different.” And I just had this itch to understand it better, to connect with it somehow beyond just being a spectator.
So, what’s a guy like me to do? Can’t exactly take one for a spin around the block. I figured the next best thing would be to build a really detailed scale model of it. Not one of those quick, snap-together kits for kids, but a proper, challenging one that would take time and effort. I wanted to feel like I was really getting into the nuts and bolts of it, even if it was just in miniature.
The Build Process: Ups and Downs
Finding the right kit wasn’t super easy, but I eventually tracked one down. When it arrived, the box itself was something else. Opening it up, wow, so many tiny parts! I’ll be honest, it looked a bit much at first. I spread everything out on my workbench and just stared at it for a good while.
The first real step was just going through the instruction booklet, trying to make sense of it all. Then I started with the chassis, the suspension bits, and then moved onto the V6 twin-turbo engine components. The hybrid system parts were particularly intricate and, let me tell you, a real test of patience. So many small pieces that had to fit just so.
- Cutting parts from the sprues.
- Sanding down tiny edges.
- Test fitting everything, again and again.
- The gluing, oh man, trying not to get glue everywhere.
Painting was a whole other adventure. Getting that specific Peugeot grey, and then those super bright, almost neon green-yellow accents… it took several tries. And the decals! Some of them were so small, I was using tweezers and a magnifying glass, holding my breath the whole time. There were definitely moments I wanted to just chuck the whole thing in the bin. Seriously frustrating at times.
Seeing the Car Differently
As I was building it, piece by piece, especially the underbody and those complex aero channels they designed to work without the big rear wing, I really started to get a feel for what the Peugeot engineers were trying to achieve. It’s one thing to read about “ground effect,” but it’s another to assemble the parts that are supposed to make it happen, even on a model. It made me appreciate the real car’s design on a new level.
Building the cockpit was cool too. All those little switches and the screen. You try to imagine what it’s actually like to be strapped into that thing, hurtling down the Mulsanne Straight. It’s pretty wild.
And you know what? This whole process, this “practice” of building the model, completely changed how I watch the actual 9X8 race in the WEC. When I see it on track now, I’m not just seeing a car. I’m seeing all those little sections I struggled with, all the design features I studied. I notice how it handles, how it looks in different lights, thinking about all the work that went into my little version, and then magnifying that a thousand times for the real deal.
Final Thoughts on My 9X8 Time
So yeah, that’s been my journey with the Peugeot 9X8. It started with being intrigued by its looks and its bold engineering choices. Then came the decision to build the model, the hours spent cutting, gluing, painting, and sometimes cursing. It wasn’t always smooth sailing, that’s for sure. I learned a lot, mostly about my own patience, I think!
But in the end, I’ve got this awesome looking model sitting on my shelf, and more importantly, a much deeper connection and appreciation for the actual car and the team behind it. It’s funny how working on something, even a model, can make you feel so much more invested. It’s more than just a cool car to me now; it’s a project I tackled, and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. Definitely worth the effort.
