Citroën's DS3 Cabrio Racing is a potent combination of value, practicality and performance. Developed from the double world-championship-winning DS3 WRC (arguably the most relevant motorsport to sporty cars driven on public roads), it also has Citroën's unique and practical Cabrio roof, offering several sporty cars in one for £29,300 (US$46,600).
The DS3 Cabrio Racing's turbocharged 1.6-litre four delivers racetrack-like performance with 207hp (30 percent more power and 15 percent more torque than the standard THP 155 unit ) for a 0-100 km/h time of 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 233 km/h (145 mph).
The additional engine performance has been achieved by re-mapping of the engine control unit (ECU), the addition of a freer-flowing sports exhaust system and a modified turbo system.
To match the additional performance, both front and rear suspension units have been modified, the car has been lowered by 15 mm, the front and rear tracks have been widened by 30 mm, brakes have been uprated all-round with four-pot racing callipers up front, the steering has been sharpened by the addition of a modified steering control system, and a switchable Electronic Stability Control program (S.ESC) has been added, which can be deactivated if required.
The DS3 Cabrio Racing gets the highest specification DSport trim, LED daytime running lights, automatic digital air conditioning, rear parking sensors, an RDS stereo radio/MP3 compatible CD player with steering mounted controls, a Bluetooth system with USB socket and an eight speaker hi-fi system.
Unfortunately, the Citroën DS3 Cabrio Racing is only being produced in an ultra-limited production run of just 100 units worldwide.
46k sticker price.
207 horsepower.
I fail to see how this is practical or a sports car for the real world.