As a automobile and motorcycle-obsessed child, it was at all times a dream of mine to personal a race automobile. The cool issue of driving a race automobile is one thing just about all children dream about, all whereas remaining blissfully unaware of the hours of labor it takes to construct these items and preserve them operating.
It didn’t actually matter what sort of racing it was, both. From touring vehicles, rally vehicles, and even out-of-the-box sports activities vehicles, the high-performance world is what sparks the love for all issues on wheels in quite a lot of kids.
That stated, once I stumbled upon hill climb racing, I used to be immediately hooked. It was the proper mixture of just about every little thing automotive that I used to be eager about rising up—my favourite rally vehicles dressed up in broad physique kits with loopy aero and a low-slung stance, all ripping up a high-speed, technical highway course up the mountains.
It’s a motorsport that’s been round for fairly a while now, and for my part, is likely one of the closest issues to the now-defunct Group B rally sequence. With programs held in winding mountain roads throughout Europe, it’s the proper approach for spectators and followers to rise up shut and private with these fire-breathing machines.
Clearly, hill-climb racing is nothing wanting badass and is house to a number of the sickest builds recognized to man. One such construct is that this seemingly easy Citroen C2. Now, these of you accustomed to this automobile would assume that it has no enterprise being a race automobile. However clearly, this specific C2 isn’t actually a C2. In actuality, it’s a full-blown race automobile enclosed within the husk of a C2.
This factor is a masterclass in power-to-weight, because it’s rocking a 1,340cc, in-line 4, naturally aspirated engine from none apart from a Suzuki Hayabusa. Now, within the automobile world, a 1.3-liter engine is tiny, however this factor cranks out 220 ponies at a screaming 12,000 rpm—far more than sufficient to get this automobile’s svelte 675-kilogram physique to maneuver severely quick.
Contained in the cockpit, nothing of the Citroen C2 household hatchback stays, because the engine and driver’s seat have been centrally positioned. The automobile has additionally been transformed to rear-wheel drive, as an alternative of the manufacturing mannequin’s cost-effective front-wheel drive system. Oh, and it’s outfitted with an digital powershift gearbox, too. So yeah, undoubtedly not economic system automobile stuff.
Judging from the montage YouTube channel HillClimb Monsters (whose movies you need to completely binge) put collectively, this factor’s fairly sick. It sounds completely menacing rowing via the gears all whereas carving up the corners.
And for these of you in Europe who’re nonetheless dreaming of proudly owning a race automobile, nicely, issues simply received a complete lot higher for you.
You see, this loopy Citroen C2 hill climb racer is definitely on the market. It’s been listed by none apart from the racer and proprietor himself, Luka Fabijancic. The automobile is situated in Croatia and instructions a price ticket of 28,000 euros (round $30,631 USD on the time of writing) which is fairly steep. However hey, given simply how a lot work has gone into this factor, I’d say it’s nicely price it.
Now clearly, that is nothing wanting a race-prepped machine. Not avenue authorized, and designed particularly for hill climb racing, so don’t anticipate to make this factor your day by day driver, no matter how insanely loopy enjoyable that sounds.