Peugeot RCZ R | Spotted

So the RCZ could be making a return - time to remember when the original finally came good

By Matt Bird / Wednesday, 14 October 2026 / Loading comments

If overshadowed a tad by the E-T16, the return of the Peugeot RCZ in the form of the Vision concept was very welcome indeed. Heaven knows we need more coupes in the world, and most definitely the affordable, stylish kind. Peugeot is non-committal for the moment - and it won’t be making a 500hp two-door anytime soon - but it has previously made an RCZ concept ahead of a production version. So there’s hope…

The first one was undoubtedly popular. Maybe it wasn’t the greatest coupe in the world to drive - and the Aldi TT jibes were mean - but it was stylish, brisk and attractively priced. So we bought plenty of them over here, the combination of glamour and value being hard to ignore. You wouldn’t be against something similar happening a second time around.

The R was when the RCZ came really, really good, however. Expectations weren’t exactly high when the project was announced, because Peugeot hadn’t made a driver’s car of note for yonks. But it put all of Peugeot Sport’s engineering might behind the flagship, with wider tracks, new suspension, huge Alcon brakes and a standard limited-slip diff. Plenty of the features that came to characterise the very good Peugeots that followed - think 208 GTI Peugeot Sport and 308 GTI - were introduced here. It was formidably fast, too, with 270hp from what was at the time the world’s most powerful 1.6: forged Mahle pistons, new rods, a bigger turbo and intercooler plus a totally overhauled exhaust system gave the little four-cylinder the power and the sound to match its flagship status.

Bring that together and the R was riotously good fun, firm and focused (and fast) in a way that the standard, sloppy RCZ never could be. Perhaps it wasn’t quite as sharp as the Renaultsport Meganes of the day, though the fact it could stand up in those comparisons indicated what a transformation the R was.

So, obviously, barely any sold at all. At £32k, the R looked expensive (it was a while ago now), taking the RCZ into rear-drive coupe territory (think 370Z) while also going without the practicality of a traditional front-drive hot hatch. No doubt some weren’t keen on the Peugeot badge, too - their loss.

The case is much easier to make for the R these days. Because it’ll still drive great and undoubtedly looks fab, but also now has modern classic rarity - as well as a sub-£10k price - in its favour. Any future RCZ will be a very different prospect to this, a manual-only, 1,280kg, turbo rocketship. This particular one looks especially good, in the Moroccan Red launch colour with 11 services and a fresh cambelt to its name. Even the outrageously bolstered seats have endured 75k pretty well. Make sure the brakes are in good order - they're pricey to replace - and don’t expect a TT-grade interior. But do expect to have enough fun not to really care.

SPECIFICATION | PEUGEOT RCZ R

Engine: 1,598cc, 4-cyl turbocharged
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive, limited-slip diff
Power (hp): 270@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 243@1,900-5,500rpm
MPG: 44.8 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 145g/km
First registered: 2015
Recorded mileage: 74,000
Price new: £31,995
Yours for: £9,000