Citro"en to campaign World Touring Car C-Elys'ee with Sebastian Loeb

Thu, 25 Jul 2013

Citroën has released the first images of its latest racecar, the C-Elysee, which will be contested by Sebastien Loeb in the World Touring Car Championship next year. Based on the C-Elysee sedan, a model first shown at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, the WTCC variant has been designed for the new regulations set to be imposed by the FIA.

The C-Elysee is offered with a range of low-powered gas and diesel engines, but the WTCC model gets a 1.6-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder with 380 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed sequential gearbox from Sadev sends power to the front wheels through a twin-disk, carbon-fiber clutch. Hopefully all this potential won't result in any shenanigans this season.

The roster for next season is far from finalized, although Honda will be contesting the championship with its Civic WTCC.The C-Elysee WTCC will make its race debut with Sebastien Loeb at the wheel when the 2014 FIA World Touring Car Championship starts, likely around the end of March 2014. Citroën will also be showing its new racer at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show.

CITROËN C-ELYSÉE WTCC TAKES ON THE WORLD'S CIRCUITS

A month after confirming that it would be entering the World Touring Car Championship in 2014, Citroën can now reveal the model that will be driven on the circuits by Sébastien Loeb. The Citroën C-Elysée WTCC will be the very first vehicle to be designed in accordance with the new regulations, currently being prepared by the FIA for the category next year.

On 26 September of last year, at the opening of the 2012 Paris Motor Show, Frédéric Banzet, Yves Matton and Sébastien Loeb announced that Citroën was considering taking part in the World Touring Car Championship. A few minutes earlier, the C-Elysée had just been unveiled for the first time to the world's media. Ten months on, these two events come together again with the release of the first pictures of the Citroën C-Elysée WTCC!

Benefitting from the best of the Brand's expertise in terms of style, development and quality, the Citroën C-Elysée is a C-segment saloon aimed principally at high-growth, international markets such as those in Latin America, the Mediterranean region, China and Russia. Widely acclaimed by customers, the Citroën C-Elysée is already 30% ahead of its initial sales target, with 30,000 orders placed.

"Choosing the C-Elysée as the basis for our WTCC car reflects very clearly our determination to use racing as an active means of supporting our commercial development," emphasized Frédéric Banzet, CEO of the Citroën Brand. "With rounds in Latin America, Morocco, China and Russia, the WTCC race calendar is genuinely global, and it will be a real advantage to run a C-Elysée, a key driver of our growth, in front of large crowds of enthusiastic motorsport fans."

"From a strictly technical perspective, the choice of a three-box saloon body was ideal in terms of aerodynamics. C- Elysée was therefore the perfect choice," added Xavier Mestelan-Pinon, Citroën Racing's Technical Director. "Apart from this aspect, we were able to install the various components fairly easily. Insofar as this is our first track racing car, we constantly had to ask ourselves questions about the relevance of our choices, but that's what makes this a particularly exciting challenge."

Firmly anchored to the tarmac on its 18-inch wheels, the C-Elysée WTCC is quite simply formidable. Featuring an integrated aerodynamic splitter, the front bumper accentuates the radiator grille with its prominent double chevron. The widened front and rear wings lend the car's bodywork a decidedly racing feel. At the rear, the stylish rear wing will ensure that the car hugs the track.

Under the bonnet, the Citroën C-Elysée WTCC is powered by the same 1.6-litre direct injection turbocharged engine as the DS3 WRC. With a wider booster flange, power output is now close to 380bhp. The car comes with a front-wheel drive transmission, controlled by a six-speed sequential gearbox.

After making its first track outing a few days ago, the Citroën C-Elysée WTCC has now begun a programme of development tests. The car will make its first public appearance at the Frankfort International Motor Show (12-22 September).

By Brandon Turkus