Star of the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, the Citroën DS4 Racing turned heads. A marketing coup that was to lead to a series model, finally abandoned. Ten years later, L’argus plunges back into the history of this French sports car left as a showcar.
Remember. In 2012, Citroën imagined the sports version of its DS4 by presenting a concept car at the Geneva Motor Show. To put it in context, the Citroën range at the time included the DS3 Racing whose advertising was provided by the WRC version driven by Sébastien Loeb who won the world championship in 2011. But that was not enough for the DS4 Racing to take the leap. from the Serie…
All carbon clad
The DS4 Racing concept is much more different from the production car than it looks. Indeed, going from a chic compact to an assertive sports car is no easy feat. For this, the car was equipped with a complete body kit. A front blade as well as a new grille painted in lacquered black give it an aggressive air. In profile, the carbon-clad side sills follow the frame of the wheel arches. But it’s the rear that’s most impressive. The modified bumper accommodates a chrome exhaust pipe on either side of a central diffuser.
This eye-catching look conceals a thoroughly revised chassis. It is lowered by 35 mm thanks to specific shock absorbers. The tracks are also widened to accommodate the kit (55mm front, 75mm rear). An essential modification to accommodate new 19-inch rims hiding 380 mm brake discs at the front.
A 256 hp Citroën!
The DS4 Racing pushed the plug even further since it was then the most powerful Citroën in history. The 1.6 turbo THP engine, of PSA/BMW origin, developed according to the manufacturer 256 hp, that is to say about fifty more than on the DS3-R. But not a word about the transmission or the performance of the car. For the record, it was the Peugeot Sport team that took care of all the technical development. And for good reason, Citroën Sport was focused on the WRC program while the Blues are technically “unemployed” with the end of the endurance program in 2012. The arrival of Carlos Tavares at the head of PSA will get the better of this sporty DS4 because the boss has the idea of making DS a premium brand and that sport is Peugeot’s preserve, which is preparing for the release (in 2015) of the 308 GTi. Without forgetting that at the time the finances of the PSA group were in the red and that the priority was elsewhere.
