Dacia has revealed the Lodgy Glace, a four-wheel drive machine that is being dubbed as the “rebellious little sister” of the new Dacia family road car that will be launched at the Geneva motor show in March 2012.
Dacia entered two Dacia Lodgy Glace MVPs into this winter’s Andros Trophy ice race series. Both cars were prepared by Renault Sports Technologies (RST). The first vehicle will be driven by Frenchman Alain Prost, a four-time F1 world champion and last year’s runner-up. Two drivers will share piloting responsibilities for the second car, namely, Nicolas Prost, son of Alain Prost, and Evens Stievenart. The latter said that the “Andros Trophy is a unique challenge and something I’m passionate about. It’s highly technical in terms of driving style and set-up; you need to push yourself throughout.”
A three liter V6 powers the Lodgy. It is the same engine that runs the Renault-Nissan family of race cars and the Dacia Duster used in 2010. Thanks to the tuning company Sodemo, the car now produces 355bhp as well as 265lb ft of torque. The Lodgy’s engine is mounted on the middle rear part of the car and comes with a SADEV 6-speed sequential gearbox. The Dodgy Glace measures 4001mm long but weighs only 950kgs because of its tubular steel chassis designed by French company Tork Engineering.
To cope with the demands of the ice and snow-covered circuits of the Andros Trophy, the suspension of the Dodgy Glace is comprised of double wishbones and adjustable Öhlins integrated springs and dampers. The car also has four-wheel steering that is necessary for the specific cornering techniques used in ice racing competition.
For those interested in a road version of the Dacia Lodgy Glace, the Romanian company may come up with one to go with the Duster and Sandero for its UK line-up next year though nothing is final yet.
Source: ttp://www.autocar.co.uk
