Fifty years ago, legendary rally car driver Erik Carlsson romped through his first of three – in a row - British RAC rally titles while piloting a three-cylinder, 750 cc Saab 96.
As a Saab aficionado, Carlsson has always competed in rally races while driving only one brand and today, the Swedish manufacturer is celebrating Carlsson’s rally accomplishments by building a special edition Saab 9-3 carrying his name.
Called the Saab 9-3 Aero Carlsson, the 280-horsepower limited-run model was announced by Saab at a recent luncheon at the RAC Club in London to honor Carlsson himself.
Understandably, Carlsson was honored by Saab’s gesture. "This is a great occasion for me,” he said.
“I feel very honored to have a car named after me. Anyone who loves driving and is as passionate about Saab as I am will be excited about getting behind the wheel."
We don’t know a great deal about Erik Carlsson because he raced even before we were born, but from what we’ve heard and read about him, he seems to have been one of the pre-eminent rally racers of his time so it’s only appropriate for Saab to honor the man that gave them their honor back in the day.
Citroen has unveiled the DS3 WRC rally car at the Paris Auto Show. This new model will replace the C4 WRC in the 2011 World Rally Championship. Official debut will be made at the Rally Sweden in February 2011. There will be two teams entering the competition: Sébastien Loeb / Daniel Elena and Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia. As a reminder, Ford already announced its participation in this contest with the new Fiesta RS WRC.
The DS3 WRC is powered by a 1.6-liter direct-injection turbocharged engine that delivers 300 HP. It also features cooling vents and aerodynamic parts designed to improve road holding at high speeds. The four-wheel-drive transmission incorporates a six-gear sequential gearbox and front and rear mechanical differentials.
The new FIA rules ban costly materials such as titanium and carbon-fibre, and standardise certain parts like the turbocharger and limit the changes that can be made to the vehicle during its lifetime. Rally nevertheless remains a great testing ground for driving new advances in vehicle technology.
Ford has unveiled today at the Paris Auto Show the new Fiesta RS WRC rally car, that will compete in the 2011 FIA World Rally Championship. Racing debut will be made in Rally Sweden, on 10 - 13 February.
The new Fiesta RS WRC comes with four-wheel drive transmission and a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine. This engine has been developed by Ford and M-Sport in close cooperation to highly-respected French tuner Pipo Moteur.
Until now the car has been put to a 3000 kilometers of testing in Britain and France, powered initially by the current WRC engine and more recently by a prototype 1.6-liter Ford EcoBoost turbo unit. The car gets eye-catching appearance and acclaimed ’kinetic design’ styling cues synonymous with Ford’s latest road vehicles. The interior will also be instantly recognizable as a Fiesta RS WRC rally car as it contains a number of production parts.
Volvo will be entering the World Touring Car Championship with a C30 DRIVe model in 2011. The company will participate in all races with one Volvo C30 DRIVe racer driven by Robert Dahlgren. However, the 2011 season will just be an evaluation, as the official entry will be made in 2012.
"We are very happy and proud for this vote of confidence. This will be a challenge for us but we have prepared for this for several years. Our organization is in place and we have already started with preparations" says Christian Dahl, Managing Director for Polestar Racing. "Volvo has a solid touring car racing tradition and we see a potential now for converting this into a global commercial tool from 2012 through WTCC. It is vital the technical and commercial aspects of the series align with our ambitions and this is what Polestar is out to confirm for us in 2011."
To say that the new Citroen DS3 rally car has some big shoes to fill is like saying that Megan Fox is hot. Well, duh.
Following in the footsteps of the C4 rally car isn’t always the best place to get your feet wet in the world of rally. This is especially true since the C4, which has been running for four years, already has a laundry list of accomplishments, including three driver’s championships and two manufacturer’s championships. Can you take the heat, DS3?
Nevertheless, Citroen is ready to unveil their next-generation rally race, which was built with a smaller, normally aspirated engine to adhere to the new rules that are going to be enforced in the World Rally Championship beginning in the 2011 season.
The C3 rally car is scheduled to have its public unveiling at the Paris Motor Show next week. But before that, Citroen has released a new teaser video of the new rally car. We’re dying to find out how the DS3 can handle the enormous shadow cast by its predecessor. Although we won’t be able to find that out until next year, we’re likewise excited to see how the new rally car looks.
