Description:

At the Paris show of Retromobile, on the 2nd of February this special car will be for sale at the Artcurial auction house. Great names in world rallying have taken turns behind the wheel of this car, from Sebastian Loeb to Sebastian Ogier, Philippe Bugalski to Mikko Hirvonen and Kris Meeke: Gino Rally Invest, a brand linked to the Gino SPA group, has put up for auction the first example ever manufactured of Citroën DS3 WRC, produced by the French company in 2009. A unique piece that made the history of motorsport and that involved great exponents of the world scene in its development, the same one that - in 2011 and 2012 - guaranteed the achievement of twenty victories and two consecutive world titles, drivers and manufacturers. A car of indefinite historical value, being the first chassis of a model that played a leading role on the most exclusive stage in the world.

A certification issued by Stellantis Motorsport, dated 21 June 2023 and signed by its director Jean Marc Finot, documents the use of the car, from December 2009 to July 2010, during test sessions. Both Sèbastien Loeb and Sèbastien Ogier took turns at the wheel seven times, Dani Sordo on ten occasions, Philippe Bugalski four times and Kris Meeke once.

At the heart of the winning project, a 1,598 cc four-cylinder turbo engine delivering 325 HP, connected to a sequential gearbox. Its FIA "gold" technical passport confirms that this example participated in several rallies in the Middle East in 2015 (Kuwait, Shiraz, Oman, Dubai) and that in 2017 it took the start of the Monte-Carlo Rally in the hands of Jourdan Serderidis. From 2019 to 2022 it was used with great satisfaction by Luca Pedersoli, and in 2022 with the Citroen DS3 #1, he won the Rally Legend. The car is faithful to its original configuration, equipped with the official Citroën livery proposed in 2013 on the occasion of the "Forest Rally Stage" of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where it was driven by Mikko Hirvonen.

The start of the auction is scheduled from 2pm on Friday 2 February, on the artcurial.com portal, at the web address https://www.artcurial.com/en/lot-2009-citroen-ds3-wrc- 4404-87

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