Peugeot 308 Racing Cup revealed

The curtain’s barely dropped on the 308 GTi yet Peugeot’s already massaged its newest hot hatch into a racing car.

No other than Peugeot Sport, the firm’s in-house go-fast arm, has developed the car for race duties, and in doing so has widened the car, tweaked its engine and increased downforce.

Between its front struts the 1.6-litre turbo inline four, matched to a six-speed sequential gearbox, is now fed by a new turbocharger borrowed from the Pikes Peak-dominating 208 T16 to bump up power from the road car’s 201kW to 230kW.

Cheekily, it’s also a figure that translates to 308hp.

New front guards grow the bodywork outwards by 106mm, allowing Peugeot Sport to tuck 10-inch-wide wheels underneath the 308 Racing Cup.

Meanwhile, race-spec aerodynamics are delivered by a WTCC-spec rear wing and wide front splitter.

Brakes, too, have been upgraded, with six-piston calipers finding their way behind the front wheels.

All up, with an FIA roll cage on board, Peugeot says the Racing Cup tips the scales somewhere between 1000kg and 1050kg.

Set for its debut on race tarmac at the end of 2016, Peugeot has billed the car as the successor to the RCZ single-make series, while also planning to offer it to private customers for competition in various sports car racing series and endurance championships.

Before the racetrack, though, the world will have its first public glimpse of the car next month at the Frankfurt Motor Show when it’s plonked by the 308 GTI’s side at the Peugeot stand.