The Citroen C4 WRC - Citroen Sport's new weapon - made its debut in the Monte Carlo rally in 2007. It is the car to replace the Xsara WRC, winner of three world manufacturers crowns between 2003 and 2005. In the expert hands of Citroen Sport's engineers at Versailles Satory, the C4 Citroen Sport concept car became the C4 WRC.
Although the overall styling was maintained, the car had to be adapted to international regulations and performance requirements. This is where the design office of Citroen Sport stepped in. The project working group came up with a first rolling model of the Citroen C4 WRC that was already a long way from the original concept. The roof, for example, was no longer made of glass, since this is banned in rally racing. The front and rear wings, bumpers and spoiler were modified to satisfy regulations and performance criteria. To save time and money, a number of body parts were studied in wind tunnels on a scale of 1 before validation of the full-size parts at the end of the project.
The program role of the development program was to validate the parts and powertrain sub-systems developed by the design office. Reliability was the first factor and performance the second. To achieve the desired result, several working sessions were necessary on both asphalt and gravel. The technical team of Citroen Sport then compared the performance of the C4 WRC with that of the Xsara, which remained the standard, the absolute reference.
Designed to be as easy to drive and as reliable as the Xsara WRC, the C4 WRC aims to set even higher standards of efficiency and performance. A car built and developed to enable Citroen to target the "drivers" and "manufacturers" titles once more from 2007.
Like the Xsara, its glorious predecessor, the Citroen C4 WRC features four-wheel drive and a 2-liter turbocharged engine mated to a cross-mounted 6-speed gearbox. At 165.4 inches, the C4 WRC is longer than the Xsara and, in line with regulations, therefore has a larger width of 70.1 inches, compared with 67 inches for the Xsara. This change should provide better stability on bends.
As also laid down in the new regulations, the use of electronic driving aids is limited, in the same way as for the Xsara in its 2006 configuration. Referring again to the regulatory budget cuts, the sub-systems of the C4 WRC – such as the engines, gearboxes, front, central and rear differentials and dampers – must last longer and be more reliable.
