This video's a battle occurring around the seven-hour mark pitting Audi R15 TDI driver, Alan McNish and Peugeot 908 HDI driver, Franck Montagny against one another for overall race lead. It was an eerily similar battle to the one between Flying Lizard's Porsche 911 GT3 RSR and Risi Competizione's Ferrari F430 GT that happened during the final lap of the 2007 Sebring race. [youtube via speedtv]

Audi's brand new R15 TDI whomped on the French with a 1st place finish over the 2nd place Peugeot 908 HDI. It was an epic battle between the two diesel powers and McNish in the #2 car was able to take the lead around the 42-minute mark when Peugeot driver, Montagny, made a final fuel-only pit stop. McNish was able to maintain his overall lead, clicking off faster and faster laps that allowed him to gain enough of a gap to eventually win the 100th ALMS race, the 57th Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring.

Can they repeat this epic win in Le Mans? We're sure that Peugeot will bring their A-game, but with Audi's amazing performance today, we're not so sure it the French will win on their home turf.

57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Final Results:
1. (2) Allan McNish, Scotland; Rinaldo Capello, Italy; Tom Kristensen, Denmark; Audi R15 TDI (1, P1), 383.
2. (5) Franck Montagny, Brignoles France; Sebastien Bourdais, France; Stephane Sarrazin, France; Peugeot 908 HDI FAP (2, P1), 383.
3. (4) Mike Rockenfeller, Germany; Marco Werner, Germany; Lucas Luhr, Germany; Audi R15 TDI (3, P1), 381.
4. (7) Luis Diaz, Mexico; Adrian Fernandez, Mexico; Acura ARX-01B (1, P2), 360.
5. (3) Pedro Lamy, Lisbon Portugal; Christian Klien, Austria; Nicolas Minassian, England; Peugeot 908 HDI FAP (4, P1), 356.
6. (12) Jan Magnussen, Denmark; Antonio Garcia, Spain; Johnny O'Connell, Flowery Branch, GA; Corvette C6.R (1, GT1), 349.
7. (11) Oliver Gavin, England; Olivier Beretta, Monaco; Marcel Fässler, Switzerland; Corvette C6.R (2, GT1), 348.
8. (27) Mika Salo, Finland; Jaime Melo, Brazil; Pierre Kaffer, Germany; Ferrari F430 GT (1, GT2), 332.
9. (15) Gianmaria Bruni, Italy; Mathias Russo, Argentina; Luis Companc, Argentina; Ferrari 430 GT (2, GT2), 330.
10. (17) Dominik Farnbacher, Germany; Ian James, England; Panoz Esperante GTLM Ford (3, GT2), 329.
11. (14) Jörg Bergmeister, Germany; Patrick Long, Oak Park, CA; Marc Lieb, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (4, GT2), 326.
12. (24) Seth Neiman, Burlingame, CA; Johannes van Overbeek, San Francisco, CA; Darren Law, Phoenix, AZ; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (5, GT2), 326.
13. (23) Nic Jonsson, Sweden; Eric van de Poele, Belgium; Tracy Krohn, Houston, TX; Ferrari F430 GT (6, GT2), 325.
14. (16) David Murry, Cumming, GA; Andrea Robertson, Ray, MI; David Robertson, Ray, MI; Doran Ford GT MK 7 (7, GT2), 303.
15. (6) David Brabham, Australia; Scott Sharp, Jupiter, FL; Dario Franchitti, Scotland; Acura ARX-02a (5, P1), 302, Drive line.
16. (13) Dirk Werner, Germany; Richard Lietz, Austria; Wolf Henzler, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (8, GT2), 274.
17. (19) Joel Feinberg, Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Chris Hall, Daytona, FL; Ritchie Holt, Davie, FL; Dodge Viper Comp Coupe (9, GT2), 251, Clutch.
18. (1) Gil de Ferran, Brazil; Simon Pagenaud, France; Scott Dixon, New Zealand; Acura ARX-02a (6, P1), 246, Mechanical.
19. (20) Robert Bell, UK; Paul Drayson, London, UK; Jonny Cocker, UK; Aston Martin Vantage GT2 (10, GT2), 204, Engine.
20. (9) Chris McMurry, Phoenix, AZ; Tony Burgess, Canada; Bryan Willman, Kirkland, WA; Lola B06/10 AER (7, P1), 151, Electrical.
21. (10) Butch Leitzinger, State College, PA; Marino Franchitti, Scotland; Ben Devlin, England; Lola B09 86 Mazda (2, P2), 149, Mechanical.
22. (26) Dirk Müller, Germany; Tom Milner, Leesburg, VA; BMW E92 M3 (11, GT2), 140.
23. (8) Chris Dyson, Pleasant Valley, NY; Guy Smith, England; Andy Lally, New York, NY; Lola B09 86 Mazda (3, P2), 127, Mechanical.
24. (22) Lou Gigliotti, Dallas, TX; Eric Curran, Easthampton, MA; Lucas Molo, Brazil; Chevrolet Riley Corvette C6 (12, GT2), 89, Mechanical.
25. (25) Clint Field, Dublin, OH; Chapman Ducote, Miami, FL; Jon Field, Dublin, OH; Lola B06/10 AER (8, P1), 77.
26. (18) Bill Auberlen, Hermosa Beach, CA; Joey Hand, Sacramento, CA; BMW E92 M3 (13, GT2), 27, Mechanical.
27. (21) Nicky Pastorelli, Netherlands; Hans Stuck, Germany; Johannes Stuck, Austria; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (14, GT2), 0, Withdrawn.
28. (28) Richard Westbrook, England; Marc Basseng, Germany; Lance David, Germany; Porsche 911 GT3 RSR (15, GT2), 0, Withdrawn.

[via speed, youtube, americanlemans, coldtrackdays] (Top Photo: Doug Werner)

The #2 Audi R15 of Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen and Dindo Capello lapped the 3.7-mile track in 1:43.596, half a second quicker than their teammates Marco Werner, Lucas Luhr and Mike Rockenfeller in the #1 car, and a full 1.4 seconds clear of the Frenchies in their Peugeot 908’s.

Allan McNish, who scored the first victory for the R15’s predecessor—the R10, pictured above at last year’s race—with teammates Kristensen and Capello at Sebring in 2006, had this to say about the new diesel racer:

The car feels more agile, it feels more reactive, especially at high speed and through Turn 1, which is a very bumpy corner, it’s more stable than the R10 was. We're actually going through there a gear higher.

We’ve got a better response from the engine as well. I think the V10 being a bit shorter and lighter is allowing the chassis to be more agile in the other parts of the circuit.

Performance-wise, what we’ve seen to date is that we’re a little bit ahead of Peugeot on short runs and also on long runs. Acura are very early in their running because they didn't run on Saturday, so I think we’ve got to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday to see their full potential.

Poor Peugeot. They have been trying to beat Audi since 2007 to no avail. If the R15 wasn’t such an absolute treat for the aluminum and carbon fiber heart, one would almost feel compelled to root for them.

Source: Autosport.com

Photo Credit: Doug Benc/Getty Images

The people at Peugeot have lions on the brain. This is perfectly understandable in that their use of the animal as a company mascot dates back to the time of the American Civil War, back when the company was making crinoline dresses instead of motorcars. It’s just that they have taken their feline fetish just a bit too far these past few years.

The front ends of modern Peugeots—which you cannot see in the US as the company withdrew from the North American market in 1991—are all shaped like various cats. This sounds like a recipe for a line of exciting cars, right? Unfortunately, most of them are incredibly bland. Save for the 908 Le Mans racer, which is awesome. And the Pininfarina-designed 406 coupé. As for the rest? You’re not missing out on much.

And they all have their tongues sticking out! If you look at a Peugeot, the front bumper is a tongue extending from the black mouth formed by the grille. As you can see on this picture taken at the launch of the Peugeot 207 supermini back in 2006:

I have spent years trying to get inside the head of Peugeot Design Chief Gérard Welter’s head to no avail. Until I read South African motoring journalist Peta Lee’s review of the Peugeot 308 wagon: Peugeots look like lions to make passage among tough African game safe if they threaten your progress!

Witness Lee’s description of an encounter on a dirt road at the KwaZulu Natal Game reserve, close to the coastal city of Durban:

The rhino mom and her calf gave us curious looks as we passed within a metre of them. We'd had to swerve because they were slap bang in the middle of the road and didn’t seem at all inclined to move, even though we’d sat motionless for about 10 minutes.

I was hoping the distinctive red of the Peugeot 308 SW wouldn’t evoke the same reaction from them as a red rag or a matador's cloak…

Fortunately, they were more interested in browsing the succulent grass than in charging us as we (cautiously) made our way to the exit of Karkloof Spa, passing, uneventfully, a herd of wildebeest, a dozen zebra and a family of warthogs en-routeThe rhino were were more interested in browsing the succulent grass.

See? And as for why the rhinos didn’t scatter in mortal fear: the extended lion tongue is toned way back on the 308. Peta Lee would have sent them charging all the way to the Congo in a 207.

The new system should definitely come in handy on the Circuit de la Sarthe for next year's 24 Hours of LeMans, as it can be used either as boost to supplement the 700 HP diesel V12, or to simply save fuel. The 908 HY can even be put in electric-only mode, perhaps for cruising down the pit lane.

It should be noted, however, that the 2009 LeMans Series regulations aren't completely set in stone yet. So while the Frenchies may have already shown off the 908 HY in public this past weekend at Silverstone, there's a very slight possibility it may not be exactly like this if it makes it onto the grid next season. Let's hope the KERS system on this doesn't decide to strike back at its mechanics like certain F1 cars have.

We predict success for the first diesel electric hybrid racecar, it'll be able to combine the excellent fuel economy and torque characteristics of both diesels and hybrids and would be positioned to take advantage of any future rule changes that benefit hybrid technology. F1, for example, is actively working to bring power added by regenerative braking to the sport [Via Motor Authority]

[Jalopnik's Question of the Day rocks a NOMEX suit. Have a question you need answered? Email suggestions to tips@jalopnik.com with the subject line "QOTD"]

Will a diesel-fired showdown between Audi and Peugeot dominate this year's 24-hours-of-Le Mans? You bet your sweet glow plugs. And Peugeot this past weekend showed it's not cowed by the Audi juggernaut. Piloted by Nicolas Minassian and Marc Gene, Peugeot's V12 diesel-powered #7 908 HDi logged its first Le Mans win at Monza. The 621-mile victory is the first testament to the car's reliability and puts it one step closer to the famous allnighter in Sarthe coming up June 3rd. But if #7 was the lucky one, car #8 was plagued with a door that flew open during the race. But according to those on the scene, #8 may have tipped Peugeot's hand, when it climbed from the back of the pack with unexpected speed. Could Peugeot be holding out? We'll see. – Mike Spinelli

Peugeot 908 wins debut race at Monza [Motorsport.com]

Related:
Audi, Watch Your Back: Peugeot LeMans HDi V12 Diesel in Shakedown Testing [internal]

With 750+ horsepower cracking from a flat-six thanks to creative use of turbocharging and Bosch mechanical injection, the Porsche 935 represents the apex of crazed eighties IMSA Group 5 twin-turbo gas huffing mayhem. The Porsche brain trust produced many variants of the 935 six-banger in answer to the ever changing race series rules regarding use of hair dryers. Some of these engines overtook the output of the twelve-cylinder 917 engine with more than 800 horsepower. This particular 935 is going up on the block at the Amelia Island RM Auction March 10, and is expected to fetch the princely sum 950 thousand clams or so. Our morning trip to Coinstar netted $7.53, an arcade token, and a stripped bolt, so we're unfortunately out of the running. – Mike Bumbeck

1981 Porsche 935 IMSA Group 5 Race Car [RMauctions.com]

Related:
Downforce in the Den: Porsche 917 Couch; Call Dr. Evil, Go to Florida; Car Porn of the Day: Porsche 997 RSR; Used Car We Can't Afford of the Day: The Porsche 956 Works Rothmans [Internal]

Little beats the Porsche 917 when it comes to dead sexy and dangerous racing machines. The 917 was first rolled out at the 1969 Geneva Auto Show, and followed up the 908 with more power thanks to four more cylinders than the previous eight. Early reports at handling were scary, with the car evidently moving about the track at will once it got into the 200 mph zone. None of this stopped the 917 and its drivers from winning races. This particular 1971 version will be up on the Amelia Island RM Auction block March 10, and is expected to fetch up to a million dollars. – Mike Bumbeck

1971 Porsche 917 Spyder [RMauctions.com]

Related:
Car Porn of the Day: Porsche 997 RSR; LA Auto Show: Porsche Remains Logical [Internal]

We posted a couple of shots of Peugeot's new 908 diesel Le Mans car carelessly gleaned from our big blue screen yesterday. In the interest of reader service, we then shed shoe leather like a PCP-addled Bruce Jenner on a quest to capture images for our files and ended up running across it's li'l brudder, the 907 Spider, a spec-series racer that'll run opening events in five heats of the Le Mans Series. Not since the R5 Turbo has a French automobile made us as giddy as these two machines. And it gives us an excuse to do some more o' that fancy gallery fiddlin'. [Gallery]

Related:
09282006
Paris Auto Show 908 Le Mans Racer Revealed on the Televizzle! [Internal]

Humina. Great Scott! Fabulosity is at hand, revealed by the wacky Frenchmen at Peugeot. The 908 Le Mans coupe prototype is poised to take on the already-stupidly-successful Audi R10. Packed full of diesel and walnuts, the Peugeots and the Citro ns are hoping to ratchet their cachet by taking on the all-conquering Teutons from Ingolstadt. Can the plucky Frankish folks pull it off? We don't know, but du unsere G te, this thing is hotter than a two-dollar hooker in vibrating pants! Or the press room here in Paris. Take your pick.

Paris is Oil Burning: More on the Peugeot 908 RC Concept; More from Paris [Internal]

We're gearing up for the Paris show in September, stocking up on crisp striped shirts and practicing our dismissive attitude (just kidding, guys). This morning, Peugeot fired the first conceptual shot with the 908 concept. Sure, it's as over-the-top as the 907 was, but that LeMans-ready diesel is the real show. We only hope they'll rev the thing on the show floor.

Related:
Paris Show Preview: Peugeot 908 RC [internal]

You just know the French carmakers are whipping up their finest haute cuisine for the upcoming Paris show this September. As exhibit A, we present the first shots of Peugeot's 908 RC concept, courtesy of the scoops at Carscoop. The PSA prototype will introduce the Audi-contending LeMans diesel engine, a 5.5 V12 HDi mill producing 700 Hp and 885 lbs.-ft of torque. It could also signal a sucessor to the barely-breathing 607. Voila!

Peugeot 908 RC 4door-Coupe V12 Concept [Carscoop]

Related:
Peugeot 907: Improbable Supercar; Nemesis of Audi: Peugeot's Diesel V12 for LeMans - Jalopnik [internal]

How did we not know about this? Famed motor-racing driver, car collector and Porsche dealer Vasek Polak died in a wreck on the autobahn in 1997, leaving his estate to the Vasek and Anna Maria Polak Foundation. In 2000, a team of crack thieves absconded with a stock of NOS and rebuilt Porsche racing motors: four naturally-aspirated Porsche 917K race engines, a NOS 3.0L Porsche 908 mill, one 2.2L Porsche 907 Hillclimb engine, and one 3.4L Porsche 911 race engine. This seems rather dumb to us, as the market for these engines is necessarily a small one. And wha' happen'? They were finally nabbed and the collection returned to the Polak foundation.

On March 25th, just under our Pedro-based noses in El Segundo, the whole kit 'n' kaboodle was auctioned for a mil to Dale Miller of Miller Historic Motorcars. And we didn't know about it! Nobody told us! The money went to cancer research, and we have to say, despite the fact that we didn't make it up the 405 to Segundo, we can't think of a happier ending to a theft. [Thanks to Bret for the tip.] [UPDATE: Here's a story on the theft, recovery and auction from the Daily Breeze.]

Vasek Polak Historic Porsche Racing Engine Auction: $1 Millon Raised for Charity!!! [Pelican Parts]

Related:
Inside Porsche's New Le Mans Prototype [Internal]