Peugeot is bringing some hotness back to its UK showrooms with the new RCZ R sports coupe that is priced from £31,995. The French carmaker will begin accepting orders from next week and deliver the first cars from 2nd January 2014.
Previewed in the UK at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July and formally presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, the RCZ R is both more powerful and (slightly) lighter that the 200bhp RCZ THP upon which it is based.
Under the hood there’s a modified 1.6-litre THP turbocharged petrol engine developing 270bhp, linked to a strengthened six-speed manual transmission, uprated clutch, and a new Torsen differential to provide additional grip to the front wheels.
Many other parts of the car have been upgraded over the 200bhp THP, including the exhaust, wider front and rear tracks, dampers settings, increased stiffness in the springs and anti-roll bar, larger four-piston brakes, and new 19-inch alloys shod in Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 235/40 R19 tyres.
Peugeot quotes a 0-62mph (100km/h) sprint in 5.9 seconds, an electronically limited top speed of 155mph (250km/h) and perhaps more importantly in terms of bragging rights, it says that the RCZ R is “more than two seconds per kilometre quicker than the 200bhp car on the Nürburgring test track”.
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