The 24 Hours of Le Mans is not only the world's greatest one of the most grueling sports-car races, it's also the ultimate test track for new technology.
This year, the Peugeot 9X8 Hybrid Hypercar is sporting the latest in rear-vision technology in its race car. It's described by developer Gentex Corporation as "an intelligent rear vision system designed to optimize the vehicle's rearward view."
The system features an enhanced racing version of Gentex's Full Display Mirror, a digital rearview mirror. The technology captures video from a rearward-facing camera and streams it to a mirror-integrated LCD display, providing drivers with a wide, unobstructed view behind the vehicle.
"The Gentex mirror has really changed the game for us, especially in endurance racing in these closed-cockpit cars that we have today," said Gustavo Menezes, co-driver of the No. 94 Peugeot 9X8 along with Nico Muller at Le Mans. "You always had cars in your blind spot and had to assume when to leave the space. Now, fighting through traffic, the moment you see the car that you've just overtaken in the Gentex display mirror, you already know that you are clear and can move back to the racing line."
The Peugeots, Nos. 93 and 94, qualified 10th and 11th on the grid for 24-hour race.
Meanwhile, the version of the Gentex digital rearview mirror for passenger cars, which is available for some 90 models worldwide, is a two-in-one safety device. In mirror mode, the product functions as a standard rearview mirror. But with the flip of a lever, the mirror enters display mode, and a clear, bright, LCD display appears through the mirror's reflective surface, providing a wide, unobstructed rearward view.