Peugeot’s 308 Racing Cup is a 300-horsepower family hatchback built for the track

By Ronan Glon September 11, 2015

Peugeot Sport has turned the family-friendly 308 hatchback into a fire-breathing track car in time for the biennial Frankfurt Motor Show.

Appropriately dubbed 308 Racing Cup, the hot hatch gains an evolution of the 308 GTi‘s 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that has been tuned to deliver over 308 horsepower. It boasts several mechanical upgrades including a bigger exhaust line and a large turbocharger borrowed from the 208 T16 race car that tore up Pikes Peak in 2013.

Performance figures have not been announced yet, but Peugeot promises the 308 Racing Cup tips the scale at no more than 2,300 pounds. Six-piston brake calipers, a sport-tuned adjustable suspension, and a six-speed sequential gearbox help pilots make the most of the cavalry under the hood.

It’s easy to tell the 308 Racing Cup apart from its more plebeian sibling because it’s fitted with a model-specific bumper that incorporates a thin splitter and large air dams, an air scoop right above the windshield, and a massive WTCC-spec spoiler out back. Large alloy wheels tucked under flared fenders round out the track-ready look.

Interior pictures aren’t available yet, but the shots of the exterior reveal the Racing Cup is fitted with a single bucket seat for the driver and a full roll cage. The cockpit has been largely stripped out in a bid to shed as much weight as possible.

After greeting the show-going public in Frankfurt, the Peugeot 308 Racing Cup will make its track debut at the Paul Ricard track in southern France next October. When it goes on sale, it will be eligible to compete in many racing series across Europe including the VLN in Germany, the CER in Spain, the CITE in Italy, and the BGDC in Belgium. Alternatively, pilots will be able to push the 308 to its limits in an upcoming one-make race series.

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Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…

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