2007 Peugeot 207 RC and 207 CC
Race fans and insomniac Speed Channel addicts know that WRC stands for World Rally Championship. That one additional letter in the name of the Peugeot 207 RC would be good for another 125 or so horsepower, but it is, unfortunately, absent.
Instead, the 207 RC making its debut in Geneva is a pleasant compromise between the sort of theme-park thrill ride of a Subaru Impreza WRX and the ho-hum-drum of the basic everyday commuter. Zing comes at the behest of a direct-injected, turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder making 172 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque, with 191 pound-feet on demand temporarily through the trendy new overboost feature like that on a Porsche 911 Turbo. With the turbo at full huff and the twirly pieces under the extra squeeze of overboost, the 1.6 will fling the 207 RC to 60 mph in about seven seconds on its way to 137 mph, when the fun police break up the party.
As the RC is meant to pay respect to Peugeot’s past rallying experience, the 207 RC provides balanced performance with a stiffened suspension, bigger front brakes, and revised tuning for the electric power steering. Not that any of this affects you on a personal level, Uncle Sam, because Peugeot hasn’t sold a car in the U.S. of A. in 16 years, and it isn’t about to start.
