Citroen DS3 Racing (2010) first official pictures

These are the first official pictures of the production version of the Citroen DS3 Racing. Billed as a sporty alternative to the now ubiquitous Mini Cooper S, the DS3 Racing is aimed squarely at younger buyers, and brings its own unique styling to the table.

And you'd better move fast if you want one. Just 200 right-hand drive cars will be coming to the UK, and despite a £23,100 pricetag (including 20% VAT as sales don't start until 2011) Citroen UK has already had over 1500 expressions of interest through its website.

As we revealed back in February when we broke details of the DS3 concept, the Racing is based on the 1.6 THP version of the car, and features changes to the exhaust, turbo and engine management system to push power up from 154bhp to 204bhp, and the torque figure climbs from 177lb ft to 203lb ft. The extra grunt helps drop the 62mph time from 7.3 to 6.5 seconds, and the top speed is increased from 133 to 146mph.

In order to cope with this power, the DS3 Racing is the subject of multiple changes to the regular DS3's underpinnings. The suspension is lower and stiffer, the dampers have been modified, and alterations have been made to the ESP and steering. Uprated brakes have also been fitted.

Just two colour schemes will be available; a black body mated to an orange roof, or a white body with a grey roof. Orders acn be placed from September 1 2010.

By Ben Foulds