Remember when Peugeot built a car out of copper and recycled newspaper?
Published on Feb 18, 2022 at 11:50 AM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Apr 28, 2022 at 4:09 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Peugeot is a brand not afraid to experiment and that’s just what they did in 2012 when it launched a prototype car called ‘Onyx’.
In my view, this still remains one of the most fascinating concept cars ever created: a mid-engined, 2-door coupe with what Peugeot calls ‘half-scissor’ doors.
Powered by the same 3.7-litre V8 hybrid-diesel that Peugeot used for the 2011 Le Mans race, it puts out 680 hp and it only weighs 1,100 kg which is why it manages to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds and reaches a top speed of 360 mph.
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Peugeot being Peugeot, threw convention out the window and used carbon fibre and copper, yes copper, to build the bodywork.
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The seats? Convention was thrown to the wind with those too, making them from recycled newspapers.
And on top of that, they also made a bicycle and a sofa using the same design language, similar materials (apart from the sofa, which is made of rock, literally) and the same name.
Unfortunately, and rather unsurprisingly, Peugeot never actually built a production version so the Onyx is simply a museum piece that they own and can use to showcase what they’re capable of.
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