Téma / red-car
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The Peaq for the Race Director Got a Special Roof
The Škoda brand’s new electric model has joined the famous red cars of the Tour de France straight away. To do so, it needed several modifications.
Feature
Regular Tour de France stages begin with the peloton rolling out of the start town together. Ahead of the riders drives a red Škoda car, from whose open roof race director Christian Prudhomme watches everything and, after a few kilometres on a suitable stretch of road, waves the yellow flag for the official start. The car then covers the rest of the stage right behind the competing cyclists. The role of the director’s car has traditionally been filled by the Superb, across several generations, and since 2019 always with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. A year later it was joined by the fully electric Enyaq, which this year was replaced by the all-new Peaq.
The compressor horn of the red car has an unmistakable sound. Cyclists can tell from far away that the director’s car is approaching.
The director’s special is based on the Peaq 90x Sportline with all-wheel drive. To make sure the car does its job as well as possible, several modifications were needed. “In the past, the car was converted only once it was completely finished. Today we take it off the production line for a while during the build, specifically after the body panels have been fitted. Once the necessary modifications are done, we return it so that it can go on to the manual Paint Shop with these new elements,” says Radim Baborovský from the VME – Brand Experience department, describing how the director’s car comes into being.
12
The number of stages in which the Peaq served as the director’s car.
The biggest engineering change was to the roof. The Peaq normally has a full glass roof, so it had to be replaced with an opening version – and, unusually, one that opens from the back towards the front. Engineers from Technical Development used a part from another model, turning it through 180 degrees.
Further equipment includes a communications system with six aerials built directly into the body. Its technical units and battery are located in the boot. One particular feature of the Peaq director’s car is that it offers only four seats. In the middle of the second row there is a console with radio controls, a table and a fridge. Alongside the race director, important guests take their seats here, including the French president.