Prodrive reveals technical details of Megane World RX car

Many of the project's details have been kept quiet since it was first announced 14 months ago and, although the car ran in public for the first time in the second official pre-season World RX test at Silverstone last week, its technical details were kept under wraps.

The GCK team that will run the two Meganes revealed the car in its final 2018 livery in Paris on Wednesday at the Automobile Club de France, while Prodrive also lifted the lid on the new car's specification.

Prodrive has focused on optimising the car in the three key areas of the World RX regulations: the powertrain, suspension and subframe.

The chassis and engine have been designed in-house by the World Rally Championship-winning outfit, while a unique five-speed transmission has been designed and built in collaboration with Xtrac.

The decision to create a unique four-cylinder, two-litre turbo charged engine, which is mounted longitudinally in the chassis, was taken by Prodrive to "avoid any compromises and optimise the drivetrain".

Heavy items such as the turbocharger and starter motor are mounted low in the front of the chassis. Unlike any of the other 600-horsepower Supercar machines competing in World RX, the Megane uses in-board brakes, with four pot calipers.

The front brakes are attached to the gearbox while the rears are attached to the rear differential. Moving the brakes has significantly reduced the unsprung weight at each corner of the car, where a double-wishbone suspension design and lightweight wheels (which do not need to house brakes) have been implemented.

Unlike Volkswagen Motorsport's title-winning Polo, which had its engine cooling located in the front of the car, the Megane sticks with rallycross tradition of having its radiator mounted in the boot area, fed by ducts in the rear quarter panels - although the hot air from the Megane exits through the rear floor section, rather than the boot.

"I genuinely think that the two cars that we've done this year, the new Aston and the new RX project, are the best we've done in the 34 years I've been at Prodrive," technical director David Lapworth told Autosport.

"I mean that in absolute terms, but also relative terms. Of course, I'd be disappointed if we weren't doing a better job than we did 34 years ago, and we are.

"But I think even relative to our competition, these are two very good cars."

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