Tuesday 4th March 2003

C2 Citroën Sport

Citroën raise the small car ante

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Citroën is set to surprise the motoring world at this year’s Geneva Motor Show as it pulls the wraps off its latest concept car, the C2 Citroën Sport.

Hinting at how a future Citroën motorsport car may look, this aggressive looking concept will join a number of other unmemorable numpty wagons on the Citroën stand.

The C2 Citroën Sport appears at Geneva alongside the Xsara WRC, which has already achieved a flying start to its first full year in the World Rally Championship with two victories in its first three races - a win in Turkey on the eve of the Show to follow a remarkable one-two-three in January’s Monte Carlo Rally.

Bold styling, a swooping bonnet, square headlamps and giant flared wheel arches, which house 17inch alloys will all appeal to the hot hatch brigade or indeed anyone who likes chilli sauce on their kebab.

Under the bonnet is a 225bhp, 1.6 litre engine, mated to a six-speed sequential gearbox to give the grunt to match its looks.

[v8thunder]

Did they get the lights from a Tranny van?

[d_drinks]

Right I want one Citroën, now do not fail to deliver !!!!! Though that they can get 225 from a 1.6 litre engine, makes claims that the delays to the RS Focus were caused by not being able to get a reliable 200+ BHP from their engine some what lame

[johnnystorm]

Anyone can get 225bhp from a 1600 if its either A) A peaky rally/race spec engine B) A concept that will rarely/if ever driven!!!If it makes production with 225bhp I'll eat frog's legs!

[d_drinks]

And anyone should be able to get 200BHP from a 2.0 litre engine !! My volvo S40 has 200BHP !! likewise the Subaru and EVO's have at least 276BHP from a 2.0 ltr engine - point being made was 212 from a 2.0 ltr engine is not a lot and that a 1.6 whether race/rally spec or otherwise with 225 is a demonstration of potential output from a small CC engine.

[Podie]

d_drinks said: And anyone should be able to get 200BHP from a 2.0 litre engine !! My volvo S40 has 200BHP !! likewise the Subaru and EVO's have at least 276BHP from a 2.0 ltr engine - point being made was 212 from a 2.0 ltr engine is not a lot and that a 1.6 whether race/rally spec or otherwise with 225 is a demonstration of potential output from a small CC engine.

Isn't the Volvo a turbo unit, rather than a NA one? Big power is easier to obtain with a turbo than with an NA engine.

...delays to the RS Focus were caused by not being able to get a reliable 200+ BHP from their engine some what lame

Point of information - the Focus RS was technically not late. At no point did Ford actually state a date of release - the MEDIA decided that, and hence it was always going to be "late". Granted, it reached the market later than Ford wanted... but these thing happen.

Oh, and it was NOT because they couldn't get a reliable 200+bhp.. it was actually due to the fact that exhaust welds kept on melting due to the heat... hence the production car has a single piece cast system.

>> Edited by Podie on Wednesday 5th March 09:26

[d_drinks]

Podie said:
Isn't the Volvo a turbo unit, rather than a NA one? Big power is easier to obtain with a turbo than with an NA engine.

Yes it is a turbo, but then so is the RS Focus, and all the WRC wanna be's on the market e.g. EVO 7. It is widely acknowledged/known that turbo charging is the easy way to obtain bit power just look at the Renault 5 Turbo, RS Fiesta, RS Escort etc.

point of information - the Focus RS was technically not late. At no point did Ford actually state a date of release - the MEDIA decided that, and hence it was always going to be "late". Granted, it reached the market later than Ford wanted... but these thing happen.

I recieved several dates from my ford dealer as I was on the waiting list for the RS Focus, all of these dates passed and no Focus RD was released. My comments are based on what i've been told by Ford.

Oh, and it was NOT because they couldn't get a reliable 200+bhp.. it was actually due to the fact that exhaust welds kept on melting due to the heat... hence the production car has a single piece cast system.

Again my Ford garage stated the reliability as an issue as did several motoring magazine inc. Auto Express. Again comments based on information from Ford and the motoring press rather than just personal speculation.

Edited to say Podie not slagging off your comment/view just saying what I’ve been told but what I consider to be the horses mouth.

>> Edited by d_drinks on Wednesday 5th March 11:45

[johnnystorm]

Even if Ford had been struggling to find a reliable 200bhp, good for them. They haven't turbo'd that engine or indeed sold a petrol turbo for ages so I'm glad they worked at it. Not that I'm any kind of Ford fan. They charge 20k for a fwd mass production hatch that torque steers for Britain. My 200bhp Fiat Coupe didn't 6 years ago and is from a relatively limited run and cost the same!

[Podie]

d_drinks said: I recieved several dates from my ford dealer as I was on the waiting list for the RS Focus, all of these dates passed and no Focus RD was released. My comments are based on what i've been told by Ford.

Sorry to hear that... but another point I should make is that although there is a Blue Oval badge on the dealership, they are NOT owned by Ford - the dealerships are franchises, so any information you were fed came from the dealer... not Ford.

The RD was not announced, becuase until the engineers were happy to sign off the car, they did not want to commit to a release date.

Again my Ford garage stated the reliability as an issue as did several motoring magazine inc. Auto Express. Again comments based on information from Ford and the motoring press rather than just personal speculation.

I appreciate that you're only going on what you are told... but whenever challenged a dealership or a media publication has not been able to produce and evidence that Ford gave out any information, other than the fact that they were working on the RS programme, and until they were happy with the results the car would not be released.

Some of the utter dross I've read in supposedly "in the know" magazines is hysterical... god knows where half of it comes from, and some of the engineers I deal with find it highly entertaining to be told that whatever car is under development or on the drawing board... when they know nothing about it!

Edited to say Podie not slagging off your comment/view just saying what I’ve been told but what I consider to be the horses mouth.

Understood, and no offence taken. For someone so young I have a fairly cynical view of the majority of the motoring press... especially where Ford are concerned.

[Izza]

This car is a concept Rally car, like Ford's Fiesta concept. Not a road car.
It's the replacement for the Saxo Super 1600 car. So it's a 1.6 N/A.
Here's the article:
www.wrc.com/en_GB/News/2003/003/2003_CitroenC2.htm