DS3 R3 (France, 2010)

In 2010 Citroën presented its DS3 R3, a car supposed to continue Citroën Racing’s tradition of offering products designed for customers. The Citroën DS3 R3 made its rallying debut at the end of 2010 on the new Group R3T.

The DS3 R3 is powered by a four cylinder 1.6-litre THP engine. Although it had been developed using the PSA production engine, the engine fitted in the rally car has specific racing parts, such as air box, camshaft, pistons, connecting rods, exhaust and turbo systems, electronic unit, etc., which have been placed to enhance its power up to 210 bhp. One of the main focuses of Citroën Racing engineers was to handle the DS3 R3 more torque (350 Nm) in order to improve its traction.

Benefiting from Citroën’s experience in the World Rally Championship the DS3 R3 is equipped with the same six-speed semiautomatic sequential control as the C4 WRC. This technology makes gear changes as quick as a manual gearbox and also improves the consistency of the car’s engine.

As for its suspension system, the DS3 R3 received with the latest technologies in order to be used on all road surfaces, from rough gravel to smooth tarmac. Citroën is offering a large variety of setup options which make the vehicle adaptable to all driving styles.