New ERC-bound 208 R2 tests
ByERC
Published 15/04/2019 at 04:04 GMT
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Image credit: ERC
Peugeot’s replacement for its best-selling 208 R2 has turned a wheel for the first time – and customers should get their hands on the new machine ahead of the 2020 FIA European Rally Championship season.
Based on the new road-going Peugeot 208, the R2-specification contender is lighter and features a 1.2-litre turbocharged, three-cylinder PureTech engine.
The recent test in the Vosges region of France was the culmination of months of work by Peugeot Sport engineers, which began last summer.
According to Peugeot Sport, the engineers were tasked with creating a “rapid and reliable car that’s great fun to drive but also benefits from running costs that are as low as possible”.
Bruno Famin, Peugeot Sport Director, said: “I’ve been very pleased to see the first tests. The improvement comes above all thanks to the new 1.2-litre turbo PureTech engine, which will lead to a substantial increase in performance. Now we’re getting the test phase underway, which is a key step. The goal within the next few months will be to build on that and gain the maximum amount of experience and data through a number of other tests on all sorts of surfaces and in a variety of conditions. This will allow us to define and then confirm the car’s final technical specification, in order to be ready to attack the 2020 season.”
More than 450 examples of the original 208 R2 were built with Efrén Llarena taking the ERC3 Junior honours on the Azores Rallye in one of the current models. The Pirelli-supported championship resumes on Rally Islas Canarias from 2-4 May.
The recent test in the Vosges region of France was the culmination of months of work by Peugeot Sport engineers, which began last summer.
According to Peugeot Sport, the engineers were tasked with creating a “rapid and reliable car that’s great fun to drive but also benefits from running costs that are as low as possible”.
Bruno Famin, Peugeot Sport Director, said: “I’ve been very pleased to see the first tests. The improvement comes above all thanks to the new 1.2-litre turbo PureTech engine, which will lead to a substantial increase in performance. Now we’re getting the test phase underway, which is a key step. The goal within the next few months will be to build on that and gain the maximum amount of experience and data through a number of other tests on all sorts of surfaces and in a variety of conditions. This will allow us to define and then confirm the car’s final technical specification, in order to be ready to attack the 2020 season.”
More than 450 examples of the original 208 R2 were built with Efrén Llarena taking the ERC3 Junior honours on the Azores Rallye in one of the current models. The Pirelli-supported championship resumes on Rally Islas Canarias from 2-4 May.
The post New ERC-bound 208 R2 tests appeared first on FIA ERC | European Rally Championship.
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