As the successor to the Fabia Super 2000, one of the most successful rally cars in history, Skoda’s all-new Fabia R5 is ready, willing and now able to follow in its footsteps.
As you may have gathered, the R5 is based on the 3rd generation Fabia and, dare we say, it quite a lot better looking than the car it replaces. Oh, and it’s also fast. Really fast.
The Fabia R5 is equipped with a 1.6 liter turbo engine (which by the way is quite a change from the 2.0 liter unit found in the old Super 2000 model), it has a 5-speed sequential gearbox as well as McPherson struts. In compliance with FIA regulations, the weight of the car had to be at least 1,230 kg.
Unlike its road-going sibling, the Fabia R5 is also all-wheel driven, which is a must when you’re speeding along dirt-covered or slippery surfaces.
Skoda board member Dr. Frank Welsch told media that “When working on the third generation production Fabia, which enjoyed an extremely successful start, we incorporated some of the genes from our rally cars and developed the most emotional Fabia ever. Conversely, the production model now formed the basis for the new Fabia R 5.”
The homologation process itself was a long one, which required close cooperation with the FIA, which is why Skoda needed to complete about 10,000 km (6,213 miles) of testing on a wide range of roads and weather conditions before they could even think about getting this car out on the track in an official capacity.
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