Not 100% on topic, but still worth mentioning. Peugeot has made a video about the birth of 908:
http://www.peugeot-sport.com/fr/endu...la-908-hdi-fap Sadly it is only available in French, at least at the moment.
It gives a clear time line of the start of the project:
- 23 feb 2005: choice for endurance racing
- october 2005: first big design choices, e.g., engine architecture (5.5, V12, 100° V angle)
- 26 feb 2006: choice for closed car -> from an aero perspective open and closed are very closed; the decisive factor was mainly strategic, because they did not want to run the same concept as Audi
- 10 mar 2006: first monocilinder bench test
- 18 apr 2006: first windtunnel test with scale model
- 26 sept 2006: reveal 908 @ Paris motorshow
- 30 sept 2006 2 AM: first start of engine -> it only ran for a short period of time (1000 revolutions)
- 10 dec 2006 9 AM: delivery of carbon monocoque
- 11 dec 2006: start of assembly
- 22 dec 2006 10 PM: first engine start inside the car -> lots of smoke
- 31 dec 2006: shakedown
- 4 jan 2007 9:08 AM: first test session @ Castellet
- 10 jan 2007: presentation to international press
- 15 apr 2007: Monza 1st victory
- 17 jun 2007: Le Mans podium finish
- 6 apr 2008: Barcelona 1st victory against Audi
- 15 jun 2008: Le Mans deception of losing after dominanating most of the race
- 14 jun 2009: Le Mans victory