Citroen's Survolt charges into life at Le Mans Classic

French cars, Belgian drivers and a French track sounds like a recipe for Gallic flair (well, almost). And so it proved at the weekend when Vanina Ickx, daughter of six-time winner at Le Mans, lapped the track in the new Citroen Survolt concept car. Also lapping the French track at the 2010 Le Mans Classic was the GTbyCITROEN concept car, alongside a brace of DS3s.

The Survolt is powered by two electric motors that can give up to 300bhp, a top speed of 162mph and a 0-60mph dash in less than five seconds. Apparently. As the swoopy bodywork suggests, it's a lot faster than most electric cars.

Twin batteries allegedly provide a 124-mile range on a single charge, so it could lap La Sarthe for a wee while before needing to hook up for a recharge. Topping up the battery takes 10 hours on 220 volts.

We haven’t had a chance to drive the Survolt yet, but the clearly biased Vanina Ickx said the following about the electric concept race car: ‘On the track it felt really good,' she gushed. 'It’s a real race car, with a very promising potential for the future.'

Let's hope that Citroen might be tempted to do one of its wackier road car projects: imagine seeing this in your rear-view mirror!

By Daniel Puddicombe