Following on from its world premiere (in pre-production form) at the Geneva Salon this past March, Citroën has released full details with the final performance specs and pricing on its limited edition DS3 Racing hot hatch.
Only 1,000 cars will be produced with 200 right-hand drive models confirmed for the UK. Despite the hefty £23,100 price tag (including 20 percent VAT), Citroën UK says it has already received more than 1,500 inquires for the car through its official website alone. UK buyers can place their order from September 1 to start with first deliveries planned for early 2011.
The spicy French hatch has been developed by Citroën's Racing division, the same team behind the firm's WRC cars. Essentially a pumped up version of the DS3 DSport with the 150HP 1.6 THP, the Racing model features a tweaked engine and chassis as well as a sportier look inside and out.
The final specs for the specially tuned 1.6-litre THP engine is an output of 207-horsepower and maximum torque of 275Nm (202.8 lb-ft). That's good enough for a top speed of 235km/h (146mph) and a 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 6.5 seconds, while Citroën claims it takes just 26.5 seconds to cover 1,000m from a standing start.
The French firm's Racing division also modified the suspension settings, fitted new dampers, lowered the car's ride height by 15mm, and widened the front and rear tracks by 30mm. The recalibrated ESP and the up-rated braking system with 4-piston calipers and revised discs, along with the 18-inch alloy wheels shod in beefier tires complete the performance upgrades.
On the styling front, the DS3 Racing features a new bodykit with many carbon fibre components such as the rear diffuser, front bumper, side rubbing strips and wheel arch extensions. Inside, there's a set of body-hugging bucket seats up front and decorative carbon fiber trim.
The car will be available only in two color schemes, one with an Obsidian Black (pearlescent) body and a Sport Orange roof, the other with a Polar White body and a Carbon Grey roof. In both cases the roof colors are matched to the alloy wheels, door mirrors, chevrons, grille surround, tailgate spoiler and dashboard fascia trim.
