PEUGEOT 307 WRC

The announcement towards 2004 World Rally Championship.

The Frankfurt Motor Show 2003 will see a significant milestone for Automobiles Peugeot. In February 1983, the company launched the beautiful 205 Turbo 16 at the same time as the then new 205 range of road cars was announced. In June 1998, there was a simultaneous release of the 206 and its sports derivative the 206 WRC. In Frankfurt, it was the turn of the 307 to enhance its range with the arrival of the "World Rally Championship" version: the 307 WRC.

Based on the top-of-the-range version of the 307 CC, the 307 WRC is Peugeot's next weapon in the arsenal that Peugeot have brought to the World Rally Championship. It will replace the 206 WRC at exactly the right moment - the current car is a triple world champion but is under pressure from newer models from Ford and Citroën. The 307 WRC is based on the coupé version of the road-going 307, but the rally car will - naturally - have very little in common with the ones driven by 'Joe Public'. It will benefit from the development of the 206 WRC which, the team says, will ensure that the 307WRC will be almost perfect when launched into competition. The new car first turned a wheel on Christmas Eve 2002 and, since then, the test sessions have become more frequent - proving the car's performance and reliability both off and on road.

Although heavier than the saloon - like any coupé cabriolet the 307 CC requires a certain number of stiffeners - the 307 WRC project benefited from the new WRC regulations that increased the minimum legal weight of the body to 320 kg. Savings elsewhere, though, means that the new car has been kept to the same overall weight (1230kg) as the 206WRC. The folding parts forming the roof of the cabriolet are now fixed.

The 307 WRC uses a new, but still 5 speed, Hewland gearbox. This is located at the rear of the engine in a transverse position, contrary to the one on the 206 WRC which is in a longitudinal position. A conical counter gear situated behind the centre differential provides the drive to the rear wheels. As usual, three differentials are used - front, centre and rear - and these are managed electronically.

The engine is also new. It is no longer the XU9J4 but the more recent XU7JP4. Still with an aluminum block, the new engine (fitted to the 406 in 1.8 liters form) has been taken out to 2.0 liters. Power is around the maximum allowed (300 bhp) at 5250 rpm and it is torque - 580 Nm at just 3500 rpm will help haul the car out of slow corners.

Homologation of the new car will be achieved by January 2004. To obtain homologation, 2500 307 CC 180 bhp vehicles must have been produced, plus 25.000 vehicles in the 'normal' 307 CC range, in twelve consecutive months.