Peugeot RCZ R confirmed

Is Peugeot on the road back to enthusiasts' hearts? Already in 2013 it has launched the accomplished 208 GTI, and that's being followed by the RCZ R, a performance flagship of Peugeot's TT rival. Seen as a concept last year and to be officially unveiled at the Festival of Speed next month, the RCZ R is Peugeot's most powerful production car ever and aimed directly at the VW Scirocco R. It's powered by the same 1.6-litre turbo as the RCZ 200, but with 60hp more at 260hp, just 5hp behind the Scirocco. A Torsen limited-slip differential is standard to help transfer that power to the front wheels. No performance figures have been released, but expect a 0-62mph time of under seven seconds and a top speed around 150mph. Peugeot is keen to draw parallels between the roadgoing RCZ R and the racing version used in the RCZ Cup. The racer produces 250hp and 214lb ft, and Peugeot claims the bespoke suspension set-up of the RCZ R is influenced by the Cup. Whilst unlikely to match the Cup's 355mm front discs and six-piston calipers, the RCZ R should boast larger brakes than standard. The RCZ R is also likely to weigh a similar amount to the standard RCZ, rather than the 1,070kg of the racing RCZ. An RCZ R will be driven at Goodwood by Bradley Philpot, Peugeot's 208 GTI ambassador and part of the team that took a clean sweep of podium places in the SP2T class at the N24 recently. Another will be on Peugeot's static display. The RCZ R will go on sale later this year. Peugeot hasn't yet announced a price, but given the RCZ 200 GT is £26,385 and a manual Scirocco R is £31,735, a figure somewhere between the two seems likely. Source: pistonheads