Skip advert
Advertisement

Citroen C3 WRC Concept - 2017’s WRC winner?

Thanks to the new 2017 rules, rally cars haven't looked quite so tough in a long time

Citroen has revealed a concept version of the car it will field in the 2017 World Rally Championship - with the intention of reclaiming WRC dominance from Volkswagen, which has won three titles since 2013 and currently leads the 2016 season.

For 2017, as in Formula 1, the WRC’s regulations have changed, and cars competing in the series will be significantly different from those of the past five or six seasons.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Engine power increases to around 380bhp thanks to a 36mm permitted diameter for the turbocharger flange, aerodynamic regulations are more relaxed - which will lead to more dramatic bodywork shapes - minimum weight has dropped by 25kg and electronic differential control is now permitted.

The aerodynamic changes in particular are clear to see in the new Citroen WRC Concept. Now based on the recently-unveiled C3 rather than the DS3, the C3 WRC Concept looks more like a race track refugee than a car designed for rough-and-tumble rally stages.

Enormous arches stretch the C3’s width out to the maximum 1875mm of the regulations and the car has grown by 55mm in length, most of that contribution claimed by the enormous rear wing and deep front splitter. The new C3’s characteristic Airbumps, however, are nowhere to be seen - surely an oversight for a car whose bodywork may well take plenty of punishment on the average rally stage…

While it’s too early to tell whether Citroen can regain its previous success in the series - with eight manufacturers’ titles and 96 wins to its name - Volkswagen will certainly have to pull out all the stops to make its Polo WRC look more dramatic than its French rival.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

2024 Dakar Rally preview: cars, teams, routes and full details
Prodrive Hunter – front
Features

2024 Dakar Rally preview: cars, teams, routes and full details

The 2024 Dakar rally roars into life on 5 January. Here’s all the key information, plus an inside look at Prodrive’s Dakar preparations
2 Jan 2024
Prodrive P25 review – this £552,000 Subaru Impreza is worth every penny
Prodrive P25
Reviews

Prodrive P25 review – this £552,000 Subaru Impreza is worth every penny

The P25 is Prodrive’s dazzling tribute to the iconic Subaru Impreza 22B STI. But can it possibly justify its eye-watering £552,000 price tag? There’s …
28 Oct 2023
2023 British Rally Championship: Trackrod Rally results
British Rally Championship Trackrod Yorkshire
News

2023 British Rally Championship: Trackrod Rally results

The 65th Motorsport UK British Rally Championship season continued with the Trackrod Rally in Yorkshire
25 Sep 2023
What’s it like inside a WRC service area? 
WRC service area
Features

What’s it like inside a WRC service area? 

evo is a fly on the wall inside the Toyota Gazoo Racing team at the 2023 Acropolis Rally Greece
11 Sep 2023
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

The new Mercedes-AMG G63 has arrived, and it still has a V8
Mercedes-AMG G63
News

The new Mercedes-AMG G63 has arrived, and it still has a V8

Some of Affalterbach’s range-toppers are swapping eight cylinders for four, but the AMG G-class retains its V8 for 2024
26 Mar 2024
Land Rover Defender OCTA: twin-turbo V8 and McLaren-style suspension tech for hot off-roader
Land Rover Defender OCTA – front
News

Land Rover Defender OCTA: twin-turbo V8 and McLaren-style suspension tech for hot off-roader

The OCTA promises to be the fastest, toughest and most capable Defender yet when it launches later this year
26 Mar 2024
The new Toyota GR Yaris costs £44,250 – too much for a hot supermini?
Toyota GR Yaris Gen 2 – front
News

The new Toyota GR Yaris costs £44,250 – too much for a hot supermini?

Our early impressions of the Gen 2 GR Yaris suggest that it’s an improvement in every area that counts, but can it be worth £18k more than an i20 N?
27 Mar 2024