Paris Show: Citroën Unleashes DS3 WRC Contender

Joining the world premieres of the MINI Countryman WRC and Ford Fiesta RS WRC at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, is Citroën's all-new contender for the 2011 World Rally Championship, the DS3 WRC in full racing livery.

The French firm's replacement for the multi-championship winning C4 WRC fully complies with the new FIA regulations with power coming from a 300hp 1.6-litre direct-injection turbocharged engine. The car also gets a four-wheel-drive system that incorporates a six-gear sequential gearbox and front and rear mechanical differentials.

"The DS3 WRC is designed to limit the budgets required to compete in the WRC", said Citroën in a statement. "The new FIA rules ban costly materials such as titanium and carbon-fibre, and standardise certain parts like the turbocharger and limit the changes that can be made to the vehicle during its lifetime. Rally nevertheless remains a great testing ground for driving new advances in vehicle technology."

The new DS3 WRC will make racing debut at the Rally Sweden in February 2011. The French firm has already confirmed two teams of the next racing season, Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena and Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia.

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Citroën Releases Dating 2.0 to Help People Find a Date for The Paris Motor Show (and Market the DS3)

Ooohweee, does Citroën know how to get this pale, pajama-wearing, cries-himself-to-sleep-every-night hippie blogger interested. Screw match-dot-com, we've got a car dating service now. The French brand know for its wild and out of this world concepts (see GTbyCitroën, Survolt, Revolte, etc.) has created a new form of match-up for the car enthusiast called Dating 2.0, and it's one nifty little time-waster.

Just be aware that the first step is asking your preference, not what you are. Don't make the same mistake I did and wind up looking at a dude in boxer briefs. Well, unless that's your thing, in which case go for it.

I, on the other hand, went with classy, busty, and shapely for my little lady and ended up with a "beautiful, alluring, and enigmatic" fish supper-enjoying mermaid and a red DS3. Yeah, I thought it was weird, too, so I tried it again...and it got even weirder.

Next, I chose funny, toned, and sporty (or something thereabouts) and ended up with a dominatrix-looking chick in leather with "a dominant personality and a unique dress sense". And...and...she's wearing a studded collar with a friggin' leash.

Try out this Dating 2.0 (link below) for yourself and leave your kinky results in the comments below. As for me, I'm off to the store to snag some furry handcuffs.

By Phil Alex

Link: Citroën Dating 2.0

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Citroen DS3 Racing with 207HP: Full Details and Pricing Released

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.

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