Peugeot unveils 270bhp 308 R 28 | 08 | 2013

PEUGEOT WILL OFFICIALLY unveil this dramatic concept of the 308 at next month's Frankfurt Motor Show. Badged the Peugeot 308 R, it's powered by the same high-performance 1.6-litre four-cylinder, 270bhp engine that was recently seen in the RCZ R.

The ultra-sporty concept car's extreme styling also benefits from carbon-fibre panels that are bolted directly the car’s understructure.

Only the roof panel and the tailgate remain from the production 308, with the doors, front wings, bodysides, sills, bonnet and bumpers all being new.

Sitting 26mm lower than the standard car, the 308 R's front track has been widened by an aggressive and significant 30mm.

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Sitting on bespoke 19in alloys shod with 235/35 tyres, the concept also has extended matte black sills which dominate the car's powerful front.

“For us, it was clear the 308 R Concept retained the identifiable features of the new Peugeot 308," Thomas Rohm, new Peugeot 308 and 308 R Concept design manager, said.

"They share elegance and sophistication. The 308 R Concept is a production car pushed to the extreme.”

The 1.6THP powerplant, which drives the front wheels through a six-speed manual ‘box and a Torsen differential, pumps out 270bhp. But despite the very high specific output, Peugeot says the engine has an official CO2 figure of just 145g/km.

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Jim McGill