Skoda unveils Fabia R 5 concept rally car

What is next for the five year-old Skoda Fabia Super 2000 rally car that is hoped to add more accolades for Skoda Motorsport? Skoda has replied at the ongoing Essen Motor Show in Germany from November 29 to December 7, 2014 by unveiling their trump card at their stall, the Fabia R 5 Concept Car which gives us a glimpse of the next generation Skoda rally cars.

Based on the latest generation of the Fabia, the Fabia R 5 is scheduled to be homologated by mid-2015. Draped in white and green livery with black stripes, the rally concept has everything to give a rally enthusiast goosebumps. In keeping with FIA regulations, the new rally car is powered by a 1.6-litre turbo engine. The rally concept will also feature a sequential, five-speed gearbox, McPherson struts up front, and will weigh at least 1230 kilograms. Skoda claims they are incorporating inputs from a number of Skoda rally drivers, which should bring the rally concept to production, quite soon.

Dr. Frank Welsch, ŠKODA Board Member for Technical Development said, “Our vehicles in Essen underpin this claim. One particular highlight is the ŠKODA Fabia R 5 Concept Car, which gives a first insight into our new rally car. The concept is based on the new ŠKODA Fabia, which demonstrates more emotion than ever before, in both the hatchback and estate versions.”

The predecessor to the R 5 concept car, the ŠKODA Fabia Super 2000, was a runaway success for Skoda Motorsport, helping claim a hat-trick of titles in the current season of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC). We hope for a speedy concept-to-production run for Fabia R 5 Concept Car, in addition to hoping our columnist, 2013 APRC champion, Gaurav Gill, who drives the Skoda Fabia, will set blazing times in the upcoming season of the APRC, in a production spec Fabia R 5.