That's right, it's a monoposto diesel record car. Back in 1965, diesels weren't the torquey mpg champions we have today. They were weak, noisy, and smokey. Still, I would take this Peugeot for a ride any day.
The French simply wanted to beat world records for diesels, so they built a lightened and streamlined 404 prototype and took it to the Montlhery Autodrome. You know, the place near Paris where Ken Block drifted up a wall. In June, powered by a 2163 cc engine, the car completed a 5,000 km (3,106 miles) run at an average of 99 mph.
The next month, they went back with a smaller, 1948 cc engine for a 11,000 km (6,835 miles) ride at 100 mph. Overall, Peugeot managed to score 40 new records and prove that their diesel technology could outperform the Mercedes-Benz 190D. With the standard 404 diesel reaching 60 mph in 25.5 seconds, you can imagine the German car's speed...
Today, the record car lives in the Peugeot Museum of Adventure, which is a shame since I could find a garage for it myself.
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
The Peugeot 404 Record Car Is Not An Error