Citroen DS3 Racing: Spotted

It could have been so much more but at least now it costs a hell of a lot less!

All the ingredients were in place for the Citroen DS3 Racing to be a superb hot hatch. The standard DSport 155 was a fun and capable car to start, the 1.6-litre turbo engine had already proved itself in the Mini JCW and there was also Citroen's enviable rally success to draw upon.

Citroen Racing's input masked by graphics

So why can a 2012 car with just 924 miles be bought for less than 70 per cent of its original list price? Well, as a starter, let's begin with the cost. At £23,100, the DS3 Racing was around £7,000 more than the DSport 155 but, more importantly, a good deal pricier than many of its rivals too. The £17,000 Renaultsport Clio Cup is the obvious example but even those after a 'premium' hot hatch opt for a VW Polo GTI or Mini JCW for less cash.

As just 200 came to Britain, Citroen felt exclusivity partly justified the premium. And as Chris Harris discussed with the M3 GTS recently, hiking up the price of a limited-run model with lots of orange bits (oh, and some improvements over the standard car) can be traumatic for new sales but actually help residual values as so few are sold.

Though it's largely unreasonable to compare a £20K hot hatch with a £100K V8 coupe, there's a key reason why this didn't happen with the DS3 Racing; unlike the GTS, it simply didn't offer that much more over the standard car.

Shame the money wasn't spent on oily bits

The DS3 155 is an accomplished hot hatch, one with a slightly more relaxed demeanour than some more hyper rivals like the Mini Cooper S. For the Racing, many expected the shackles to be discarded and a truly hardcore Clio Cup rival to emerge. A Saxo VTS with a dash of maturity. What emerged was a quicker 155 with some carbon fibre trinkets.

That's not to say it was a bad pocket rocket; it just didn't engage like its best rivals, felt slower than a Mini JCW that used the same engine and often struggled putting 203lb ft down on the road.

But perhaps worse than all of this, Citroen shot itself in the foot with the marketing of the DS3 Racing. Since the Saxo, the VTR and VTS badges had been tarnished with applications on the rear of minicabs and MPVs and so probably wasn't suitable. But there was (and remains) a very successful WRC driver by the name of Sebastien Loeb who was employed by Citroen and had already seen his name emblazoned on some dire C2 and C4 specials.

A lot more appealing without the stupid price

So why didn't Citroen really get Loeb involved, make a limited edition DS3 befitting of the great man and deliver something akin to a tarmac-spec WRC car with the Racing? The nameplate was used as Citroen Racing, its rally team, were involved with the engineering but surely the Loeb cachet would have been stronger? A shorter set of gear ratios, some expensive dampers and less weight would transform the DS3. Citroen may have had to sell more to make the investment back, but at least it would be worth the premium.

Look at how Vauxhall rejuvenated the Corsa VXR with the Nurburgring package. Yes, it was expensive, but the car was markedly improved through the fitment of a Drexler diff and Bilstein dampers. It too has experienced similar depreciation to the Racing but at least the Corsa didn't suffer the unnecessary fanfare of being launched as a limited edition with questionable decals.

So the DS3 Racing appears something of a missed opportunity, and its residual values are reflecting that. It's certainly an intriguing and decent car, but one that could have been so much more.

Citroen DS3 Racing
Engine: 1,598cc 4-cyl turbo
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Power (hp): 207@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 203@2,000-4,500rpm
MPG: 44.1
CO2: 149g/km
First registered: 2012
Price new: £23,100
Yours for: £16,000

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AndyWoodall

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