The 2012 Paris Motor Show revealed a barrage of exciting cars like the McLaren P1, but the French didn’t want to lose out at their hometown auto show. The Peugeot Onyx is what many in the blogosphere are touting as, to paraphrase Autoblog, “the belle of the ball.”
I can’t argue with that.
The first thing that catches your eye are the two massive swathes of polished copper in contrast to the rest of the car’s matte black. Each side is made from a single piece of copper and besides an obscene amount of polishing, left bare. The aim is for the car to gain a distinct patina overtime.
Now patinas fit a rat rod’s rough, unhewn look perfectly, but on a concept car? Imagine this…
…all over the sides. Oxidized copper would look really out of place on the clean facade of this futuristic concept. I’m just sayin’…
The car “looks heavy” to me, but with extensive carbon fiber use the car weighs only a svelte 2,425 lbs. A 600hp 3.7L V8 hooked up to a six-speed sequential has a lithium-ion hybrid sidekick adding an extra 80hp to its power punch.
You can see how the copper sides slide over the front fenders for no reason other than Peugeot’s letting function follow form.
The interior is just as wacky, seemingly covered in a single piece of fabric so as to make as much of it indistinguishable.
Like the seats in a Gumpert Apollo, the seats are molded in while headrests hang from the ceiling.
Just for the heck of it, Peugeot tossed in a matching scooter and bicycle as well. This 400cc hybrid supertrike offers a top speed of 93 mph, motivated by its 60 hp and 42 lb.-ft. of torque.
All this copper is making me think of steampunk, so…
Fancy prime is fancy. Buy this steam-tastic shirt by Brian Kesinger.
thekevinchen 