Citroën have unveiled two more versions of the DS3 to follow on from the earlier announced R3. The DS3 Racing and the DS3 WRC, cars were shown publicly at the Paris Motor Show today.
Having already announced the DS3 R3 to the world in the summer, the French marque chose to use their home Motor Show to showcase the racing and rallying incarnations of the DS3.
The DS3 R3 is built closely from the production model, and is intended for use by racers up to national level. Fitted with a 1.6-litre THP engine which produces 210 BHP, the DS3 is built co comply with the FIA Group R Regulations.
The DS3 Racing version is suited to circuit racing. To adapt the base machine for circuit usage, the track has been widened by 3-mm, with the ride height lowered by 15mm. Revisions of the suspension, brakes and engine have also been included with this version.
The DS3 WRC is the successor to the record breaking double act of the Xsara WRC and the Cd WRC. The new car complies with all of the WRC regulations, as imposed by the FIA. Two Citroën crews have been announced for the 2011 season, with Sébastien Loeb & Daniel Elena and Sébastien Ogier & Julien Ingrassia agreeing to take charge of the DS3 WRC throughout 2011.
Citroën Racing’s Team Director Olivier Quesnel has this to say, “The DS3 is currently Citroën's flagship model. For our engineers, it is also the ideal base on which to build a sports model and rally cars. The DS3 is compact, stylish and agile. Despite very different philosophies, the DS3 Racing, the DS3 R3 and the DS3 WRC share the same genes. They have been designed to become the yardsticks in their respective fields. With the DS3 WRC, Citroën is hoping to continue its on-going success, and is aiming for new world championship titles. The DS3 R3 is aimed at privateers who want a quick and reliable. The DS3 Racing is the road-going incarnation of our many world titles, and marks Citroën's return to the segment of small high performance sports cars”.
