2017 Citroen C3 WRC Officially Unveiled

The French brand has revealed the definitive version of the 2017 C3 WRC, which will first pass the start line at the 85th edition of the Monte Carlo Rally.

The event will be held in January, and is one of the most difficult stages on the calendar because the racers often experience shifting weather that makes tire choices difficult.

Rally fans already had an idea of how this car will look, because Citroen revealed it at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, where it was displayed as a “concept.” Evidently, Citroen took the general and put it on the WRC-specification car. You will observe that the WRC car has a mid-mounted single exhaust, along with different tail lights.

The reveal of Citroen’s racing model takes place after M-Sport showed us their 2017 rally car, and Toyota has already done the same with its Yaris. Hyundai is the last manufacturer to reveal its racing model, and it is also considered by many as the favorite for the title next year because of Volkswagen’s departure from the sport.

The strict regulations of WRC will not leave much room for surprises, so we already know that Hyundai’s contender will have a massive rear wing, along with other aerodynamic components.

Sadly, the current regulations do not mandate for a production model that would have a similar design to the rally car (think homologation specials). If those still existed, Citroen would have been compelled to offer a tricked-out C3 for the road, and automakers like Hyundai, Toyota, and Volkswagen would have been forced to do the same.

Just like its competitors, the C3 WRC comes with a 1.6-liter gasoline engine, which has a restrictor on its turbocharger. Power is similar to all competitors because of strict regulations, but the cars come with an electronic differential, which is a first for this sport. Thanks to this solution, the racing models could handle thanks to the possibility of selecting various setups.