2005 Chevrolet Lacetti WTCC R+ Concept

An FIA World Touring Car Championship Runner for Everyday Enthusiasts?

Think Chevrolet and racing, and youll most likely link the two on a banked oval somewhere in the South, or on a road course at endurance races like the 12 Hours of Sebring. The kings of their respective courts are the Monte Carlo and Corvette, both of which use big-bore, pushrod V8s to muscle through for first place. Elsewhere in the world, a different kind of motorsport reigns supreme - the curious and wonderful world of touring cars.

To mark its re-entry into the European market, Chevrolet has decided to take the plunge and join the action in the FIA World Touring Car Championships, or WTCC for short. A continuously evolving motorsport, known last year as the ETCC (European Touring Car Championship), this fast-paced racing series transforms the everyday compact sedan into a highly-tuned, thoroughbred racer. Chevrolet recently entered the series with a four-door Lacetti sedan to compete against the likes of BMW, Alfa Romeo, Seat, Honda and Ford, all of which have proven worthy competitors.

To celebrate the racers launch, Chevrolet has teamed up with partner Ray Mallock Ltd. to create a special, road-going concept version of the racing car called the Lacetti WTCC R+. Like the racing car, the road-going version is based on the GMDAT-engineered Lacetti (known to Americans as the Suzuki Forenza sedan), and is powered by a derivative of the same 2.0-liter inline-four engine as in regular models.

Why the concept? Chevrolets motorsports boss, Eric Nève says, "Even ahead of our competing in the World Touring Car Championship, many of our fans asked us whether they could buy this sporty, four door car. The R+ is the answer to their wishes."

Though penned by ItalDesign, the Lacetti has always been more of a bread-and-butter vehicle in terms of styling. Thats changed with the WTCC R+, which has been pumped up to reflect its athletic racing cousin. Up front, a new air dam with multiple, deep vents provides better air flow to the engine and the brakes, while widened fenders provide extra substance to the Lacettis slender body, and match the rolled fender flares perfectly.

Around back, wider fenders blend into a new venturi-effect rear bumper for stability at high speeds. A rear spoiler, dark tinted windows and special R badging, which

features the + stylized after the Chevy bowtie, round out the exterior.

On the inside, theres a similar treatment to emphasize the cars sportier character. Leather sport bucket seats with contoured bolstering, distinctive hand stitching and an embroidered R+ logo replace the fuzzy velour-like seats that come standard in the regular Lacetti. A new sport steering wheel and non-slip aluminum pedals have also been added to the mix, while satin-finish alloy appliqué brightens up the interior. Chevy has also reworked the shifter by replacing the bushings for increased accuracy and shortening the throw for better feel.

While Suzuki has had a fair bit of experience dressing up its GMDAT-based products by reworking the exterior and interior and calling it a day (Reno Intruder, Reno Tuner, Forenza Chroma, etc.) the Lacetti WTCC R+ has the grunt to back up its looks. Swiss tuner and partner to Chevy Europe, Delta-Motor, has created a mechanically-driven supercharger and intercooler setup to provide the compact car with additional power.

An air-to-air intercooler, in combination with the 0.5-bar boost that the supercharger cranks out, is enough to bump up power and torque by over 40 percent, from the cars rather pedestrian 123-horsepower and 120 lb-ft of torque ratings. Chevy claims that their hopped up Lacetti pumps out 172-horsepower and 170 lb-ft of torque. While thats some ways off the racers 275-horsepower output, its plenty for a car its size.

With body kit, supercharger, plenty of R+ badges scattered about and the throaty burble of a performance exhaust system providing the vocals, the package as a whole begs the question, what is this factory-tuned pocket rocket capable of? Simply put, its quick; the car can easily sprint to 60 mph in under eight seconds and has a top speed of over 134 mph. But theres more. In order to ensure that the extra power gets transferred to the ground effectively, the Lacetti WTCC R+ also has a limited-slip differential, and larger four-piston Alcon calipers clamping 12.8-inch ventilated disc brakes.

To deal with the R+s harder-edged powertrain, Chevy has given the front and rear suspension a complete makeover. Stiffer springs with progressive dampers replace the standard, cushy components, dropping the ride height by 1.2 inches. In order to give this performance model better turn-in and to improve cornering feel, the car also receives stiffer bushings and thicker front and rear anti-roll bars to cut back on roll during cornering. Larger wheels and tires have also been fitted; black-painted, lightweight 17-inch alloy wheels replace standard-fit steel wheels, and come wrapped in 215/45-series, high-grip performance tires.

As it stands right now, the Lacetti WTCC R+ is a one-off demonstration special; however, the future for this performance model looks to be bright. Given the popularity of pint-size performance machines in Europe and South America, like the Renault Clio 182 Cup, Ford Fiesta RS, VW Polo GTI and the now defunct MG ZS 180, Chevy would be missing out on a big opportunity. Nève says, "If there is a big enough response, our Chevrolet distributors will have them in their showrooms by the end of the year."

The car would also help boost the brands image, giving fans the ability to take a slice of the ETCC home with them.

On a slightly broader scale, is it possible that Chevrolet might offer the Optra with a similar sports package? It would certainly make sense - the mechanical parts between the European and the North American models are identical, and both vehicles are built in the same factory. An Optra SS would be a perfect little brother to the 200-horsepower Cobalt SS, offering plenty of performance at an affordable price. At the same time, it could open doors in North America for touring car racing as well as rallying, helping bolster the image of GMDAT products. GM North America, are you listening...?