It is simultaneously depressing and encouraging that cars like the Peugeot 208 Racing still exist. Encouraging because a more affordable route into motorsport - in this case, entry-level rallying - is always welcome, and especially when it’s very closely related to an existing B-segment road car. And depressing because it proves that manufacturers retain all the knowledge and wherewithal to build interesting, lightweight cars at minimal cost, but are denied (or at the very least, heavily dissuaded) from seizing the opportunity to sell them more broadly. Peugeot calls the Racing ‘a radical product’, mostly because it’s the first of its type. But the concept isn’t radical, it’s just made to seem that way by the supermini dreariness that currently surrounds it.
The thinking behind the car and its new class is simple enough. Rallying has always depended on amateur entries for its life-blood, and the Fédération Française du Sport Automobile (FFSA) wants more of them. Thus it has created the FR6 class in France, which pares back the requirements for entry to what seems like the bare minimum. Insofar as is possible (or prudent) original parts are retained, including, amazingly, the standard tyres. Obviously there are some significant adjustments - not least the multi-point roll cage inside - but there is also the enlivening combination of PSA’s 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine, a unit that Peugeot has raced extensively, and a standard six-speed, short-ratio manual.
Depending on spec, and running exclusively on superethanol E85 fuel with a race-spec ECU and loom, this gives you around 145hp. Which ought to be just the right amount with an unladen weight of 1,050kg. Peugeot Sport says it has all the attributes ‘needed to acquire, perfect and master driving techniques: heel-toe, trail braking, load transfer, slip angle, and much more’ - and if it’s anything like the front-drive hatchbacks it used to breathe on, we fully believe it. The firm talks about fine-tuning the suspension and brakes, including the ‘precise adjustment of the ground linkage’ for a more progressive response, and doubtless the car encompasses lessons learned in Rally2 and Rally4, but otherwise there is no mention of trick chassis parts. So it’s just you and a set of Michelin Pilot Sport PS5 tyres.
Accordingly, there is no lack of safety features. Alongside the roll cage you get an automatic fire suppression system and the obligatory circuit breaker inside. There are no pictures of the interior, but its maker suggests it shares much with the Rally4, which ought to mean proper seats and the usual bare-shell vibe, albeit while retaining much of the original dash. The cars are assembled in the Stellantis Motorsport workshops and are available to order now ahead of the first running of the FR6 Trophy in France next year, which ought to see a field of relative novices go head-to-head in their cheap-to-run 208s. How cheap? Well, Peugeot says the 208 Racing costs €38,900 (or about £32k) excluding VAT. Which, of course, in motorsport terms, is pocket money. Now if only we could convince Peugeot to exchange the livery for a Rallye badge...
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