Car of the Day - Citroen DS3 Racing

Car of the Day - Citroen DS3 Racing

Citroen are going after the John Cooper Works Mini with their new DS3 Racing - from the initial look of it they may even blow it away.

The re-introduction of the DS monicker to the Citroen line has started a new and exciting period for this historically important brand. If you are a company that has a model in your back catalogue as important as the iconic DS19, there is no doubt you should be reminding the public of the fact. When you couple original design with rally success you have to be onto a winner.

The DS3 Racing is special - very special with just 1000 units to be built the 200 hp hot hatch has been developed by the highly successful team that built the WRC winning cars. Citroen for those of you that aren’t into rallying have over recent years won five WRC manufacturer’s titles and six driver’s titles for Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena

The tuned and turbo-charged 1.6 litre THP 150 engine sees a significant power bump over the standard DS3 - up almost 30% from 156 to 200 hp. There is also a significant torque increase of 15% from 240Nm to 275Nm. This increase has been achieved by tuning the turbo, adjusting the mapping of the engine control unit and fitting a new tail pipe and muffler unit.

Much work has also been done to the steering and suspension set-up to ensure the power is transferred to the tarmac via the front wheel drive. The steering has been made more precise and the control system modified to take advantage of the new performance focused tyres. Stiffer springs have been added and the front and rear tracks have been widened by 30mm. The DS3 Racing has also been lowered by 15mm, improving handling and giving it a more purposeful look.

The brakes have been improved to ensure the stopping power matches the go-fast performance. The front wheels get 4-piston racing callipers and new discs, at the rear the discs have been cross drilled. The ESP also sees sportier handling settings dialled in, this however can be disengaged by the driver for a smoother more relaxed ride when desired - for me that wouldn’t be very often.

Rod Halligan