Petit mais Puissant (Small but Mighty)

Words & Snaps By Sam

Small, fun, comparatively quick and cheap... Introducing the Citroen Saxo, a car that is both loved and loathed in equal measure.

Unfortunately this combination of positive attributes has inevitably resulted in the Saxo becoming a stereotypical favourite for 17 year old boy racers all over the UK, giving it a somewhat negative image in the eyes of many.

Fortunately Adam couldn’t care less about the impression his baby leaves; having owned her since 2009 he knows that she’s just far too fun to get caught up in car culture politics and is proving that the Saxo can be just as much a grown up beast as anything!


Adam bought and began modifying his Citroen Saxo VTR 5 years ago and although she’s not quite the top-spec VTS, the agile VTR still provides an excellent base on which to begin a project.

Adam gave the original 1.6 litre 8-valve powerplant an injection of power, taking the stock 98bhp up to 130bhp by way of a ported and polished throttle body, CI Tuning competition camshaft, Supersprint exhaust manifold and centre pipe, Kam Racing rear muffler and a BMC carbon induction kit.

The little beast’s handling was also upgraded, the interior was stripped to save weight and Spax fully adjustable coilovers and an OMP rollcage were fitted.

Peugeot 306 GTi-6 brake callipers, along with drilled and grooved discs were also fitted to help reduce stopping distances.

Not a bad start to a project but since then Adam has decided that the original VTR engine isn’t going to be able to produce as much power as he desires without some very serious work, which would probably mean a car that’s not suitable for road use.

As a result, Adam has taken his pride and joy off the road for a complete rebuild, which will not only allow for a new, more powerful engine to be fitted, but also for Adam to be able to tailor her to his desires.

POWAA Garage will be following Adam’s build from start to finish, so make sure to keep checking back for the latest updates here!

Adam is still aiming for a complete track-spec monster, so the interior will remain stripped out while carbon fibre door cards, an OMP style steering wheel, a half dash and polycarbonate side windows have been fitted to save weight.

An Omex launch control unit with an adjustable rev limiter should also help get the power to the ground from those launches, which is very important given that the car now weighs no more than the lightest of feathers!

An impressive looking custom roll cage now resides in the car’s interior, and definitely looks fit for a track!

The Raceland exhaust manifold has been sheathed in heat wrap, keeping the heat in the headers for a higher exhaust speed, while minimising radiant heat in the engine bay.

So far so good, but we mentioned that Adam’s got a new engine in mind for his girl, so what’s he chosen?

A Citroen JP4 engine from the C2 VTS has been selected for the job, and although its stock 125bhp may not sound like a lot to many, bear in mind that it’s 27bhp more than the stock Saxo VTR engine, and when fitted to the heavier C2 it will take it to 100km/h (62mph) in just 8 seconds.

So with a few tasty modifications, Adam should be able to turn the Saxo’s new heart into something that’s more than adequate!

That’s it for now, but make sure to stay tuned as we find out what else Adam has in store for his French pocket rocket!

Specs Before Rebuild
Make		Citroen
Model		Saxo VTR
Engine		1.6 8v
Transmission		Manual
Drive Layout		FWD
Max Output		130bhp / 152nm
Modifications
Power Mods
Internals	CI Tuning competition camshafts
Intake	Ported and polished throttle body BMC carbon air intake
Exhaust	Supersprint manifold Supersprint mid pipe Kam Racing rear muffler
Driveline	Comp Brake quickshift kit Adjustable gear linkages
Handling
Wheels		Peugeot 205 GTi 1.9 wheels
Tyres		Toyo Proxes T1-R
Brakes		Peugeot 306 GTi-6 calipers Drilled and grooved discs Ferodo pads
Suspensions		Spax fully adjustable coilovers (front) Rear beam adjusted to suit Polybushed wishbones and front ARB
Chassis		OMP rollcage Upper and lower strut braces Powerflex gearbox mount Baker BM engine mount
Exterior
Misc		Smoothed bonnet with camo finish Cut-outs in bumper to aid cooling Wiper and lock removed from tailgate Carbon fibre fog light blanks Morette twin headlights with cold air feed Smoked rear lights Streamline carbon fibre wing mirror covers
Interior
Seats		Cobra Monaco seats OMP 4 Point harnesses
Steering Wheel		OMP style wheel  Isotta boss  Snap-Off boss
Gear Knob		Quaife gear knob
Misc		Carbon fuel pump cover Flocked dash parts Carbon  door cards and rear quarter panels Painted Gunmetal grey Skateboard tape in footwells TRS helmet net Sony headunit with JL component speakers