Dacia Creates Duster Goodwood Festival of Speed Special Black Edition

"Huh?" was our first reaction upon reading aboutDacia's new Duster Black Edition, not because of how it looks – it's not bad actually, but because Renault's Romanian brand somehow managed to form a connection to the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed.

What Dacia's UK division did is that it had displayed a supposedly one-off matte black Duster and now it's releasing it to the public to "celebrate July’s Goodwood Festival of Speed", as stated in the company press release.

As you can see for yourself in the pictures of the interior and the different shade of the inner body parts around the doors, it’s not a regular matte-black paint job but a brushed black vinyl wrap finish.

Dacia also added an ash leather interior, a Kenwood media system with a 6-inch high-resolution screen, Garmin satellite navigation, ipod connectivity, DVD playback and rear USB connection, along with new 18-inch alloy wheels.

The Black Edition is built around the diesel-powered Duster Ambiance dCi 110 4x2 and has a not-so-affordable on-the-road price of £17,575 (about $26,750).  First deliveries are scheduled for October.

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Dacia Duster's Extensive Facelift to Reportedly Premiere in Frankfurt

Launched in 2010, the Duster is currently Dacia’s oldest model on offer, as all other nameplates are less than two years old. Moreover, it isn't only Dacia’s most successful model, but also Renault Group’s best-selling vehicle in the first five months of this year, with 155,729 deliveries worldwide (+59 percent), ahead of the Renault Clio IV (139.397 units), Renault Mégane (133.116) and Sandero (124.918).

To increase sales even more, Renault will freshen up the Duster, with an extensive facelift to be showcased at the upcoming Frankfurt auto show in September, according to a report from French business daily La Tribune.

The restyled Duster will have a completely new front end (possibly inspired by the pictured D-Cross concept) and a thoroughly revised interior, with the SUV to get an upgraded dashboard that will include a touchscreen navigation system, while the upholsteries and door linings will be plusher.

The report adds that the facelifted Duster will have better soundproofing, which is currently one of the downsides of the SUV. The engines will be upgraded in order to emit less CO2 and be more fuel-efficient. All these modifications won’t have an impact on pricing, with the restyled Duster to reportedly start from €11,900 in France, just as the current version.

The Duster makes up a third of Renault’s “Entry” range, itself accounting for 40 percent of the group’s overall sales. The SUV is built in Pitesti, Romania, for the European market, but also in Curitiba (Brazil), Moscow (Russia) and in Chennai (India) for the local markets. The Indian plant also builds right-hand drive Dusters for the UK.

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After Pikes Peak and the Andros Trophy, Dacia Tries Sweden's Touring Car Championship

Dacia has been one of the most stably growing automakers in Europe in recent years, and in 2012, they managed to sell 360,000 cars around the world. Along the line, they decided to add a bit of zest to the Dacia name, and ended up witha monster Duster which raced at Pikes Peak, andanother Duster, specially-designed to be driven on ice, which competed in the Andros Trophy.

Now, they're moving into the Scandinavian (formerly Swedish) Touring Car Championship, most frequently called STCC.

However, they have not used the company's only crossover as a base this time, opting instead to use the new Logan sedan. It is the first incursion made by Dacia into the realm of asphalt racing, and the northern European championship will pit it against cars like the Chevy Cruze, VW Scirocco, Honda Civic, BMW 320i and even an old Alfa Romeo 156.

The touring-Logan is gets its motivation from a V6 engine, and sends all of its 400+ hp to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential gearbox. Performance should be good, because with its unusually low stance, and weight of 1,100 kilos (2425 pounds), and that high horsepower rating, the numbers look good.

The blue Logan is now set to go into the wind tunnel for further tuning, and then it will be further tested, before debuting in the 2013 season on 3-4 May, at the Knutstorp track. The final race of the year will take place on 21 September, and it is the last of eight races.

We are very eager to see this thing in motion, because it looks very purposeful and should prove enjoyable to watch. It also reminds us of a WRC version of the first Dacia Logan, called the S2000. However, that project never got off the ground and all we are left with are low quality videos from 2004.

By Andrei Nedelea

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