This new model is the 208 R2 Rally Car. What’s better is that Peugeot is not only using this model as the replacement for the 207 Super 2000, but the French automaker is also offering this FIA-approved rally car for sale to the general public. That’s right, if you are looking to get into rally racing, you can walk into a Peugeot dealership, actually the Peugeot Sport Racing Shop, lay down a large sum of money and walk out owning a “rally ready” hatchback.

The 208 R2 Rally Car looks like the standard 208. From the images that Peugeot released, we know that the R2 will be available in white, but there are no other colors mentioned. On the front end, you have the standard upward-angled headlights with projector lights. The front bumper and grille are the same that you get with the standard 208, except that there are two black sections – one on each side of the bumper – with “208 R2” inside of the black sections. There is a four-colored vertical stripe – red, dark blue, yellow, and medium blue – on the lowermost section of the bumper.


On the inside, Peugeot completely gutted the 208, as the only original pieces remaining on the 208 R2 are the dashboard, HVAC vents, and door panels. Peugeot replaced the front seats with two Sparco seats with racing harnesses. The rear seats are gone altogether. The steering wheel is, of course, replaced by a standard racing wheel with an LCD screen behind it.

The engine and drivetrain saw significant upgrades over the standard 208. The standard 208, with its 1.4-liter engine, produces an unenthusiastic 67 horsepower and 118 pound-feet of torque, which would net you a dead last finish in any rally. Peugeot fixed this by installing a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that pushes out 185 horsepower at 7,800 rpm and 140 pound-feet of torque at 6,300 rpm. The transmission is a five-speed manual that features its own cooling system, via an air duct on the front of the 208 R2 that sends air to the cooling fins on the transmission casing.


The 208 R2 can be ordered in several ways and both ways include kits for both asphalt and gravel. The first way to purchase the 208 R2 is only as the kit, which means the owner can have their current 208 turned into an R2. This kit, which includes a fully-built engine, has a € 37,500 price tag.

The second way to get this setup is to purchase a 208 with the package preinstalled. This package, which also includes a gravel kit and asphalt kit, comes in at € 57,500. For a fully built, FIA-approved rally car, that is a bargain price.