Citroën C4 WRC

The Citroen C4 WRC — Citroen Sport's new weapon — will be premiered on 5 September. Before making its debut in the World Rally Championship (WRC) from 2007, it is set to be one of the main attractions at the 2006 Paris Motor Show (28 September – 15 October).

The C4 Citroën Sport concept car was a vehicle symbolising the renewal of the Marque. It was the result of cooperation between engineers from the styling and sports departments. In the first instance, the project completely disregarded regulatory requirements. A true exercise in style, it met the challenge of developing a futuristic vision of a new car. A car to replace the Xsara WRC, winner of three world "manufacturers" crowns between 2003 and 2005. In the expert hands of Citroën Sport's engineers at Versailles Satory, the C4 Citroën 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 Citroën Sport stepped in. The project working group came up with a first rolling model of the Citroën 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 ¼ before validation of the full-size parts at the end of the project.