Citroen has unveiled its new DS3 Racing at the Paris motor show.
Official production details for the DS3 Racing show that it will have 204bhp and 203lb ft of torque; that’s enough for a 6.5sec 0-62mph time and a top speed of 146mph. Citroen claims the car can crack the standing kilometre in 26.5sec.
See even more pics of the Citroen DS3 Racing from the Paris motor show
Official production details for the DS3 Racing show that it will have 204bhp and 203lb ft of torque; that’s enough for a 6.5sec 0-62mph time and a top speed of 146mph. Citroen claims the car can crack the standing kilometre in 26.5sec.
The car costs £23,100 - although that figure does include VAT at 20 per cent, because deliveries will not start until early 2011. However, even with the VAT increase taken into account, Renaultsport’s Clio will still be only around £18,250. And the DS3 Racing will also cost around £1000 more than a Mini John Cooper Works.
Read Autocar's first drive of the Citroen DS3 Racing
But Citroen says it has had more than 1500 enquires about the DS3 Racing through its website alone, and that just 200 right-hand-drive examples will come to the UK. So the motorsport-related model is still likely to sell out.
The production DS3 Racing has been toned down only slightly from the concept that first appeared at the Geneva show earlier this year. It’s available in either black with an orange roof or white with a carbon grey roof. The roof colours are also matched to the 18in alloy wheels, door mirrors, chevrons, grille surround, tailgate spoiler and, on black cars, the dashboard fascia.
The DS3’s chassis has been tweaked by Citroen Racing for the hottest variant; it has fitted new dampers, widened the front and rear tracks by 30mm, lowered the ride height by 15mm and upgraded the brakes with four-pot callipers and revised discs at the front.
Standard kit includes air conditioning, Bluetooth, an eight-speaker hi-fi and a switchable ESP stability control system.
The DS3 Racing is designed to capitalise on Citroen’s world rally championship campaign. Next year the team will switch from its C4 model to a DS3 WRC.
