As I leave the sleek, svelte coupe and buy ice cream, the car crackles and popping like a fire doused camp. I feel there is something contradictory about it. After what I did for the last hour - blasting around the back roads at speeds well above sociall y acceptable levels, manhandling the bar just to keep it straight under the accelerator, thundering through hairpin turns and using the traction mass provided by a limited slip diff - I should do something male . Chomping on a fat steak and downing a beer; not licking a sweet cone filled, frozen sweet dessert. And the car behind me should be a butch, masculine cut; not a curvy, classy little Peugeot.
It used to be that you could recognize a sports car Hardcore good just by looking. Defined in the text of the Bible was Sportscar almost invariably exceptionally long hood to tell the world that there was an equally massive engine below. large overhangs front and rear and the short rear releases a scandalous message of power supplied to passengers. And the body itself must naturally be angry, aggressive, and peppered with various scoops, vents and wings to cool its mechanical power.
With the cut RCZ-R, Peugeot conjured his inner Peter Stormare, picked up this sacred book of speed and machismo, and threw it into a wood chipper.
Peugeot has always been more GT I GT. French society has never been in the business of making high power cut, mus cular. There is no model in Peugeots history that can be operated as inspiration for hardcore sports coupe, or to capture the nostalgia rooted for those looking to sink money into ungranted pubescent wishes inspired by posters on the walls of the room. This meant from a clean sheet of paper to build the RCZ-R - something surprisingly rare in this case and contrary to established lines of 911 and Mustang. Even Toyobaru twins and Alfa 4C are based more or less on the ancestral spirits.
Of course, this paper is not bleached white 20 pound stock. It never is with a modern car - much less money in the short manufacturer Peugeot. Therefore, the French brand has gone with grid sheet provided by the latest generation of Peugeot 308 (and the 307 before that), who dictated the engine layout front / front-wheel drive. It is in these grids that designers and engineers found enough freedom to create the RCZ. There
Four or five years ago, the orig inal RCZ was the first car at the age of a dog to give me hope for the future of Peugeot. He put the style above substance, but treated amazingly well: the direction was beautiful, precise gear changes, and motor - borrowed from a Mini Cooper S - was a marvel. Yet the RCZ GT is more of a gentleman of a vintage sports car, and I do not expect the R variant to be very different.
More power? Probably. Traction? Perhaps, with the permission of his limited slip diff front. Fake engine sounds? Almost certainly, those have become a staple of fast Peugeots as of late. Needless to say, I did not think a sports car Hardcore honest to goodness.
But I had one.
In todays world of adaptive suspensions, artificial steering response and electronically adjustable gas, super Pug is not even a sport mode . Or maybe I should say he has not normal. It is all out, all the time.
Floor the pedal and your eardrum is beaten by the scream of an engine that receives only stronger when you open the window. The RCZ-R is not an adult actress with aftermarket bolt-ons deceptively vocalize his pleasure for dramatic effect. Instead, it is a refined turbocharged four during milling about with neighbors and surpri singly eager jackhammering towers when not
This does not mean that it is not capricious . RCZ-R has a mind of its own if you do not drive over smoother surfaces, for example, the lens of the Hubble telescope. Torque allies OTT with the trend of wide tires to TRAMLINE. Management is a democratic process where you and undulations of the road get equal voice. Its like playing with a tame lion: You know, it does not kill you, but youre never completely sure
The fat tires, slip diff limit. and rev-happy engine to power all combine to make the RCZ-R handle, but it is these traits that provide an exhilarating driving experience when pushed hard. The diff and grease limited slip tires that make the car difficult to maintain a straight line also conspire to provide enough traction to put down 270 horsepower to the front wheels - not an easy feat. That same mechanical team is able to use every last horsepower and pound-feet of torque even without uttering so much as a single screech of tires in protest. Goofing around and wagging tail is not the forte of the Peugeot. He excels at being fast stupid -. Road conditions allowing
Find a high road, however, and you find Nirvana. As your feet dancing on the perfectly spaced pedals, you begin to really appreciate the feel of the old school controls the RCZ-R. Blipping the throttle is natural, as is rowing through its gears. The steering is a bit heavy and one of the last sports car to have a good hydraulic assist. It all feels a bit like a sports coupe from the 190s - but with 270 horsepower
The RCZ-R is certainly not a soft GT .. It is a true sports car without compromise that requires a real driver behind the wheel. Ironically, the age when the traction control can save your bacon if youre a little too lead to foot in a car with rear-wheel drive, any kind of electronic nanny will help in the fight against tramline and massive torque steer . You feel limited slip of the RCZ-R diff helping you power through corners while at the same time knowing that he has the potential to send you in a ditch if you arm the whole. In comparison, the conduct of the current Mustang GT is a quiet and regular experience; is an old man gran turismo .
Even inside the Mustang feels more modern and sophisticated in comparison. The RCZ-R is home to obsolete monitors and a wheel without direction buttons swiped from the old 307. Everything feels a little cheap compared to recent compact pugs.
This brings us to the last, and quite massive, problem with this car. prices
In most European markets, you will pay a little more than € 42,000 ($ 45,000 USD) for the privilege of owning the French hooligan. This makes it more expensive than the aforementioned Mustang. Yo u know, good Mustang with the V-8 and GT badges. Or, alternatively, you can buy almost two whole Miatas.
But maybe you like fast cars front-wheel drive. Or maybe you hate simply convention and want a sports car designed from a sheet of clean paper almost. It is even possible t hat you select the Peugeot because you consider the eight-cylinder muscle car to be too soft and shy. Anyway, it will be a very bold decision. And, ultimately, admirable.
Vojta Dobess Motoring journalist from the Czech Republic who has worked for local editions Coach and TopGear magazine. Today, he runs his own website, www.Autickar.cz. After a failed adventure with the importation of classic American cars in Europe, it is quite broken, he drives an Alfa 164 Diesel he got free. His previous cars included a Caprice New York Taxi livery in 1988, hot rodded Opel diplomat, two Dodge Coronets, a Simca, a Fiat 0 and Austin Maestro. He never owned a diesel, manual trolley
Photograph: David Marek
