as much as we love exotic, out-of-this-world concepts, at the end of our mortal day, we still appreciate more down-to-earth concepts such as this one from Peugeot. though there’s no word if the Peugeot 308 R Concept will ever see the light of production, something tells us that it will, at least as the France automaker’s chip to slug it out with EU hot favorite like the VW Golf and the American Ford Focus. to that end, you can be sure that it is not just a 308 slapped with a R badge and bits of “sports” aero parts that does nothing more than to look “sporty”. the 308 R Concept meant serious business. it really is.
differentiating itself from the lesser 308 that also premiered at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, is a series of performance upgrades including a carbon fiber bodywork (with exception of the tailgate and the roof), a lowered suspension, a wider stance, a set of functional aerokit, 19″ bespoke wheels wrapped in 235/35 R19 rubbers, upgraded braking system featuring Alcon discs, and a six-speed stick shift that works through a Torsen limited-slip differential to put the power to its front wheels. however, the most exhilarating feature ought to be what’s lurking underneath that slightly sculpted bonnet: a 1.6-liter four-cylinder turbocharged unit that spits out 270 hp (201 kW) and a peak torque of 330 Nm (243 lb-ft) – available from 1900 through to 5500 rpm. though Peugeot did not provide any performance figures, we would imagine it will be at the level of the VW Golf R or similar.
seriously, with 270 ponies stuff into a compact hatchback, what could possibly go wrong? in our books? nothing. zip past the jump for a handful of images to drool over.
