Citroen's new C3 rally car looks brilliant

The C3 WRC concept car proves 2017 rallies will look good. Now for the hot hatch, Citroen

Miss the days of vibrant little Citroen hot hatchbacks? This new C3 concept is a sign they could be on their way back.

It is the Citroen C3 WRC concept car, and it previews a couple of things. Most pertinently, it’s what we can expect Citroen’s 2017 world rally challenger to look like. But it also – if you squint a bit – shows us what the new C3 hatchback could look like if it downed a few protein shakes to become a proper Ford Fiesta ST and Peugeot 208 GTI rival. We really hope it does.

Back to the car itself. It’s longer and wider than a standard C3, at 4.2m and 1.9m respectively, thanks to its exceedingly aggressive motorsport makeover.

Power is a spritely 380bhp, provided by the 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine that meets 2017’s WRC regulations, which allow larger turbo restrictors, freeing up a whopping 80bhp.

It also sees a 25kg drop in minimum weight, so the C3 WRC should weigh around 1175kg before driver and co-drivers are inserted, making it lighter than the DS3 WRC it supersedes.