The Peugeot Oxia: One of the Coolest French Supercars of the 1980s

Turbo Dreamscape - In the 1980s, automakers were still experimenting boldly, treating concept cars as laboratories for ideas that might shape the future. It was a decade filled with angular silhouettes, turbocharged enthusiasm, and a growing fascination with advanced electronics. For Peugeot, which at the time was criticized for losing its charm, these experimental projects became a chance to show that the brand still had imagination to spare. Out of that determination emerged one of the most intriguing French concept cars of the era: the Peugeot Oxia.

The 1988 Peugeot Oxia Concept. (Picture from: Modifikasi)

The Oxia didn’t arrive out of nowhere. Peugeot had already dipped its toes into the world of high-tech performance concepts with the Quasar in 1985, a dramatic signal that the company was eager to move beyond its practical, everyday image. Just three years later, armed with greater confidence and a desire to push its creative limits, Peugeot introduced the Oxia — a concept so ambitious that building only two units cost around ₣8 million, or roughly £2 million at the time. It was an investment driven by pride as much as engineering, meant to silence critics and highlight what Peugeot could truly achieve.

The 1988 Peugeot Oxia Concept. (Picture from: CarSighting in X)

Even its name carried a sense of mystery. Inspired by Oxia Palus, a region on Mars, it gave the impression of a machine built with one eye on another world. Inside Peugeot’s design studios, Paul Bracq, the company’s head of interior styling, envisioned the Oxia as a modern reincarnation of the great French luxury cars of the 1930s — Delage, Delahaye, and Talbot — but imagined for the 1990s. This blend of futuristic intent and historic romance gave the Oxia a personality deeper than its sharp exterior lines suggested.

1988 Peugeot Oxia Concept. (Picture from: AutoCart)

Peugeot described the car in poetic terms, calling it the hidden dreamer within the hearts of modern humans — the kind of machine everyone would love to own but almost no one ever could. Yet behind those dramatic words was real racing pedigree. The Oxia shared its platform with Peugeot’s Le Mans program, and under its low-slung body sat a 286cc twin-turbo V6 producing about 670 horsepower at 8,200 rpm and 535 lb.ft of torque at 4,500 rpm. With a weight of 1,377 kg, it possessed the raw specifications of a prototype racer disguised as a roadgoing super-coupe.

The 1988 Peugeot Oxia Concept. (Picture from: AutoCart)

Its mechanical setup was just as intricate. The drivetrain relied on an epicyclic center differential with a 25/75 torque split between front and rear, combined with a heavy-duty Ferguson clutch and electronically controlled limited-slip differentials on both axles. A sophisticated double-wishbone suspension, equipped with gas-filled dampers wrapped in concentric coil springs, gave the car handling characteristics that reflected both Group B rally cars and Group C endurance racers — a fusion rarely attempted, then or now.

The 1988 Peugeot Oxia Concept. (Picture from: AutoCart)

The Oxia’s design pushed this performance-first philosophy into a striking visual statement. Enormous side intake ducts carved into its body fed the twin turbochargers, while a sweeping glass canopy wrapped the occupants in a cockpit-like environment. Inside, Clarion electronics brought a futuristic touch with a computer capable of mapping routes, performing routine safety checks, and warning of traffic conditions ahead. Behind it all, twin megaphone exhausts sat with the confidence of a machine that fully intended to be heard.

The 1988 Peugeot Oxia Concept. (Picture from: Motor1)

Peugeot didn’t let the Oxia remain a static showpiece; the company wanted to prove it genuinely worked. Journalists were invited to experience it, and with a Michelin test driver at the wheel, the car reportedly reached 217 mph (348 kph) — far beyond Peugeot’s own claims. Though it never entered production nor evolved into a racing model, the Oxia demonstrated that the brand’s engineering spirit was far stronger than many had assumed during that turbulent decade.

Today, the Oxia stands as a reminder of a time when concept cars weren’t just product previews but bold declarations of identity. It crystallized Peugeot’s determination to reclaim its charisma, showing that creativity and ambition could flourish even in difficult periods. And while the car remains forever out of reach, its legacy continues to resonate as one of the coolest and most daring Peugeot creations of the 1980s — a striking example of what happens when a manufacturer refuses to let imagination fade. *** [EKA [07102020] | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | JALOPNIK | DRIVETRIBE IN FACEBOOK | CARSIGHTING IN X ]

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