Arlen Ness, the famous king of the chopper bike category, is about to introduce today at the 2013 Motor Bike Expo in Verona, Italy, a very special edition of the Peugeot RCZ. The RCZ version chosen for this project is the one e powered by the staggering 1.6-liter THP petrol - credited with an output of 200 hp - but the model is actually meant to represent what a big name in world of the customization on two wheels can do when its aesthetic and mechanical knowledge is applied to a car, and from what we can see in these pictures they surely know their way around a four-wheeler too. But rest assured that there is more than meet the eye..

The Peugeot RCZ Arlen Ness can be considered the perfect combination between the aggressive design and of this coupe and the stylistic elements that are typical of the American Customizer. The exclusive paint job with the sporty longitudinal stripe is probably its most flashy and distinctive feature, but look closely and you will notice that the wing mirrors are coated in leather with visible orange seams. The exhaust system has been created by Termignoni, another big name in the motorcycle industry - arguably ‘the’ biggest name when it comes to performance bikes. That is a ‘first’ as well as they have never produced anything for a car before.

The suspension set-up has been revised as well in cooperation with specialist by the Andreani Group, which provided the RCZ with top-notch fully-adjustable Road & Track shock absorbers courtesy of Swedish masters Ohlins (yes, that’s another big name in motorcycle racing too). Air filters have been provided by the well-known Sprint Filter, while braking comes from a set of high performance four pistons calipers mated to 365×29 mm discs, all of which was supplied by Italian specialist Brembo.

Continue reading: Peugeot RCZ 1.6 THP by Arlen Ness

A few days after publishing the first images, Peugeot has released an official video on the revised RCZ, ahead of its imminent debut at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. The restyling has mainly concerned the front’s design, which is now in line with the latest stylistic language introduced by the manufacturer. The front grille has been completely redesigned, as well as the front bumper and headlights.

The changes to the rear of the Peugeot RCZ are almost imperceptible and do not affect the sinuous, curved lines that characterise its derriere. The interior, instead, will offer customers a greater choice of customisation. During the French Motor Show, Peugeot will also display the RCZ R.

Continue reading: 2013 Peugeot RCZ restyling video

Here are the first images of the Peugeot RCZ Onyx, a special limited edition variant which will be marketed in France and Germany only. The Onyx reintepretation of the little French car will offer four brand new paint job options: Opal Blanc (white) , the Sidobre Gris (gray), Gris Haria (grey) and Black Pearl Noir (black). Regardless of the color chosen for the livery, the interiors will be characterized by the intensive use of black nappa leather. The facelift is completed by a nice set of 19-inch wheels, black front grille, Comfort Pack, Sports Pack and the cool WIP Com 3D multimedia system.

Mechanic-wise, you can choose whether to mount the 1.6 liter THP unit, delivering 156 hp, 2.0 liter HDI engine, credited with an output of 163 hp. With the first engine, the petrol engine, the car can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8 seconds flat and touch a maximum speed of 217 km/h (135 mph), while the latter, the diesel one, completes the 0-100 km/h in 8.2 seconds, reaching 220 km/h (137 mph) of top speed. The 1.6 THP requires 6.4 liters of petrol to cover 100 km and emits 149 g/km of CO2, while the 2.0 HDi consumes 5.3 liters of diesel every 100 km emitting 139 g/km of carbon dioxide.

We also recall that not that long ago we got introduced to the RCZ Brownstone, another limited edition produced in just 150 units, all of which went on sale in Germany only. That car had a special Guaranja Brown color for the exterior, which got coupled with black front grille and roof as well as silver side fascias.

Peugeot introduces the RCZ Brownstone, a new special edition of the Peugeot RCZ that will be produced in 150 units for the German market only. The model will be available with only one color scheme option for the livery: Guaranja Brown as main color, black for front grille, brake calipers and roof and silver for the longitudinal stripe and side fascias. the aesthetics of the car also benefit from a set of athletic looking ‘Magny Cours’ 19″ 5-spoke burnished alloy wheels.

The interior is characterised by the exclusive Cohiba Leather and Alcantara material on the sport seats, dash panel and door trim panels. Standard equipment includes the ‘Sport Package’ (with shorter shifter and leather sports steering wheel), the ‘Comfort Package’ (which provides for front parking sensors, automatic low beam switch and rain sensor) the ‘Xenon Package’ (with dynamic cornering lights and headlamp cleaning system) and a WIP Com 3D telematic system. A 240 watts 10-channel JBL sound system will also be made available as an optional extra.

The Peugeot RCZ Brownstone will come with a 1.6-litre THP petrol engine delivering 156 hp and boasting a fuel consumption of 6.4 l/100 km combined and CO2 emissions of 149 g/km. and will cost 32,650 €.

The new Peugeot 309 to replace the 308 could get a name and not the standard number label, according to reports from Auto Bild. Peugeot has already used the 309 label in the past, between 1985 and 1993, for a small sedan on the European market and so is looking to change its approach for the new model.

After the Peugeot RCZ marked a change in naming Peugeot models, reports say that the company could drop the numbers alltogether, and move to more evocative naming procedures such as those used by many European car manufacturers. Citroen also uses a combination of numbers and letters for its model names, meaning there is some doubt as to what it would decide to do if Peugeot should change.

The new Peugeot 308 replacement isn’t expected to appear until 2013 and if it’s a good model, it may be more sensible for Peugeot to keep its current naming system in order to take advantage of the brand’s tradition. The RCZ after all, was a brand new model and while Peugeot is undergoing a slow re-imaging it probably doesn’t want to throw all tradition to the wind.

Source | WCF

The Peugeot RCZ was to be considered Peugeot’s first example of its new design direction and branding, but it looks like it will undergoing a restyling as early as 2012 as the company looks to the Peugeot SR1 and HR1 concepts for its design inspiration. The new-look Peugeot could appear in two-years’ time at the 2012 Paris Motor Show and could take on the SR1 front. We should see more of the new Peugeot design with the upcoming Peugeot 308 restyling expected to appear at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show in March.

The RCZ restyling should also include an updated engine range, which is good news, with a top-of-the-range 1.6 THP with 210 hp and a 2.2 HDi with 204 hp. In more good news, we could also see a hybrid RCZ with Hybrid4 all-wheel drive. The engines likely to be used on hybrid models could be the 2.0 HDi with 163 hp and the 1.6 THP with 156 hp. A second generation RCZ is planned for 2015 but it will depend on the success of the current model. With a possible restyling including this improvement in the engine range, there’s no reason why the RCZ shouldn’t have a modest success, and not just as a cheaper Audi TT knock-off.

Source | Caradisiac

Here’s the hot little Peugeot RCZ in its new Asphalt edition, a blacked-out version of the standard coupé, both inside and out. Just 500 units of the Black Asphalt RCZ will be made and it will appear with a “Noir Telluric” matte black exterior, 19-inch alloy wheels and black leather interior. It will be equipped with the 1.6 THP engine with 200 hp, but availability details across European markets haven’t been released yet.

Source | Autoblog.it

The Peugeot RCZ and Volkswagen Scirocco may seem like unusual track buddies, but any excuse to take a couple of cars out for a spin, we say. The cars are on a par for curvy looks and the price tag, and while the Peugeot is equipped with a 1.6-litre and the VW with a 1.4, the former has 156 hp and the latter 160. The supercharger helps the lack of ‘litres’ on the Scirocco and so they’re both taken out for a track drive. It’s purely a track time test which is what you want Tiff Nedell for, but if you’re interested in further comparison, check out the video.

The Peugeot RCZ and Honda CR-Z (they’ve done it on purpose, just to confuse us), are two new arrivals in the coupé segment, perhaps a little left-field in the auto world. While the Peugeot RCZ has previously been accepted as a worthy enough car, it has been a little without a competitor, in this video challenge provided by the Honda CR-Z.

The biggest difference perhaps, is that the Honda is a fully fledged hybrid model, while the Peugeot can be described as environmentally friendly. It can’t have been easy for Honda to balance the hybrid drivetrain with sports driving style, especially on the image front, but it seems that it may have just pulled this off.

The Peugeot, on the other hand, as you may expect, has almost got it made in the coupé stakes, with a shorter shift and more torque. We always suspected that it would be a hit especially on its local market, and while it’s still got a bit of a way to go, it’s definitely a good, lower priced, contender in the coupé segment.

Our reader Mav3rick was disappointed to see there was no Peugeot RCZ on the nominees list of the 2011 European Car of the Year. We expect there’s probably a rule to explain its absence from the list, remembering that the criteria for the Euroepan car of the year is the following:

Many candidates for Car of the Year 2011 award are already on sale in different European markets or will be in a few weeks, and therefore they meet the eligibility criteria. The contenders, that could be 35 or so in the list to be officially issued in September, must be new models available in at least five European countries at the time of voting, with foreseeable minimum sales of 5,000 per year.

So unless the Peugeot RCZ has no plans to reach 5,000 units a year in sales or isn’t available in five different countries, its omission seems a strange choice. But leaving aside the ‘rules’ so to speak, are there any other recent models you think missed out but which deserved a spot?