i've just finnished reading a book written by a skoda historian,he crewdits both mk1 octavia and mk 1 fabia with saving the brand,after the octavia he says skoda needed another very strong selling car,and got it with the fabia,i think they both will become classics,after ll how many cars can lay claim to all the pro's the fabia and the octavia have,its not everyday a model is credited with saving a very historic brand like skoda.

This saved BL (Or at least prolonged it's life a little)

I can't see it ever being called a "classic"

quite write there,i think by the time the fabia vrs came along the brand had very secure future,i think tho,as with everything about the fabia,it won't become a classic for one specific reason,i think there are many reasons for its future classic status,but we will find out one way or another thats for sure:thumbup:

The Fabia vRS is a very good seller in Scotland! Perhaps this is because the Scots know a bargain when they see one ;-)

I have to say I personally feel the vRS is a very strong candidate for a cult car. It will never be excepted by the masses because of the badge on the front and the fact that (at the moment) it burns the wrong fuel. Having said that a strong candidate for future classic status may well be the Audi R8 TDI. I cant see many of those ending up in the hands of the Barry boys.

I read in autocar the other day that Audi has said that all future RS models will be Diesels. Whether this happens or not only time will tell.

The fact at the moment is I think my vRS is ace and I dont really care what anybody else thinks. Its is a wolf in sheeps clothing and I'm quite happy for this situation to remain in place a little longer.

Once a car has become a classic it will probably remain so. But one of things that sets classics aside from cult cars is that element of unobtainability. At the moment there are too many of them around. But who is to say that if you cherish and nurture your vRS and more importantly keep it standard that you wont see its value on the rise in 10 years time?

Last bit for Mr. Wobblytickle thats Letham Angus.

The only chance the VRS has of being acknowledged as a classic is if it comes to be accepted as marking a step in the evolution of something.

Many have said the Lupo GTI will become a classic because it marks the last of the "light = fast" old school VWs. After that, VW's thinking entered the "heavy + big engine = fast" school. This point was marked out by Adrian Flux who recently published an article on the new breed of future classic and, lo and behold, for this very reason the Lupo GTI was sitting there alongside the likes of the Lotus 240.

If the VRS is to become a classic, it will have to be widely acknowledged as the first forwarding of a diesel engine in a hot hatch. But it wasn't the only VAG car to be doing that at the time. Plus, I think rarity counts towards classic status and the VRS is most definitely not rare.

The only chance the VRS has of being acknowledged as a classic is if it comes to be accepted as marking a step in the evolution of something.

Many have said the Lupo GTI will become a classic because it marks the last of the "light = fast" old school VWs. After that, VW's thinking entered the "heavy + big engine = fast" school. This point was marked out by Adrian Flux who recently published an article on the new breed of future classic and, lo and behold, for this very reason the Lupo GTI was sitting there alongside the likes of the Lotus 240.

If the VRS is to become a classic, it will have to be widely acknowledged as the first forwarding of a diesel engine in a hot hatch. But it wasn't the only VAG car to be doing that at the time. Plus, I think rarity counts towards classic status and the VRS is most definitely not rare.

the mk 2 escorts were hardly rare tho were they?

Classic or cult status seems to happen when most of the cars have ended up in the scrapyard or been badly modded and boyraced - then the few original examples seem to stand out. I remember my Dad having a mark 2 Escort when we were kids (a 1.3 Popular Plus with fabric seats - that was the "Plus" bit) and there were thousands of them. Now all you see are mint condition Ghia, Sport and RS models, all show cars or one old bloke from new cars. All the rest rotted away ages ago - my Dad's had terminal A post rot and floorpan rot at eight years old. Thing is, unless they have an uneconomic to repair electrical fault or something, cars these days seem to last forever. The last of the line blue VRS SE models with leather will definately become sought after - they are a limited run and still sell for good money now. My local Skoda dealer has a list of people waiting for them - he never even needs to advertise them. Limited availability seems to be the key - the mark 2 Escort RS1800 was very rare (just over a thousand made I think) and a lot were rallied, so the few that are left command almost twice as much as the droop-snoot RS2000 (which was just as fast and arguably looked better).

I don't see that a cult car is neccessarily the same as a classic car. I don't doubt that a Fabia vRS could become a cult car (if it isn't already) but a classic? Unlikely as although it's a decent motor, it's not really doing anything particularly new or particularly well

I think that you could define cult car as a car that has a following, but to the rest of the world it just looks like a normal run of the mill car.

Classic car to the man in the street means anything Sixties or earlier that is seen to be clearly of a bygone era, for example, everyone acknowledges that the MGB is a classic and have done for years, despite the fact that they are actually not very good (and never really were). It's that nostalgia thing, although one man's nostalgia is another man's trash.

For the record, I much prefer cult cars that I remember/lusted after in my youth, to some dodgy rotting pile of British Leyland "classic" junk from the Sixties.

It's the age-old debate that every issue of every Classic Car magazine has on a regular basis - what is the definition of a classic? We'll have the answer to the question in twenty years, when the Fabia VRS represents a bygone age. Save a last of the line special edition.

Mind you, I remember the Peugeot 309 GTI Goodwood back in 92/93, a last of the line special with anthracite coloured alloys, wooden(!) steering wheel, full leather interior and a CD changer, which was quite rare back then. For years after they commanded a premium over the normal GTI, at one point costing about 50% more than the equivalent "normal" GTI when they were about 5 years old. They looked like a sure-fire future classic. Now you can pick them up for a couple of hundred quid. Same goes for the Orion 1600E (remember them? Take a 1.6i Ghia, stick leather seats in and some bits of wood on the doors, charge an extra two grand. God bless you Ford). They held their money for years on end, and then suddenly dropped, again a couple of hundred quid buys one.

The only hot hatches that seem to have properly achieved classic status are the Golf GTI (MK1, poss MK2), the Clio Williams, and possibly the 205 GTI. All the rest I suppose would be classed as cult cars.

Still rather have a GTI than an MGB though...

Classic or cult status seems to happen when most of the cars have ended up in the scrapyard or been badly modded and boyraced - then the few original examples seem to stand out. I remember my Dad having a mark 2 Escort when we were kids (a 1.3 Popular Plus with fabric seats - that was the "Plus" bit) and there were thousands of them. Now all you see are mint condition Ghia, Sport and RS models, all show cars or one old bloke from new cars. All the rest rotted away ages ago - my Dad's had terminal A post rot and floorpan rot at eight years old. Thing is, unless they have an uneconomic to repair electrical fault or something, cars these days seem to last forever. The last of the line blue VRS SE models with leather will definately become sought after - they are a limited run and still sell for good money now. My local Skoda dealer has a list of people waiting for them - he never even needs to advertise them. Limited availability seems to be the key - the mark 2 Escort RS1800 was very rare (just over a thousand made I think) and a lot were rallied, so the few that are left command almost twice as much as the droop-snoot RS2000 (which was just as fast and arguably looked better).

Well aren't I glad I've managed to find a year old vRS SE, test drove it on Friday - well impressed!!

Classics:

Fabia doesnt have the potential in my eyes to have the 'cult/status' of these to cars.

Would it become a classic if it had bloated wheel arches like these?

Perhaps LHD is a factor to consider....

I don’t think it will ever be a classic I’m afraid. It wasn’t the first (Volcane?) it isn’t the fastest or best handling, it wasn’t made for Homologation reasons and even though the press often find the car raises a smile when they drive it, I have never read a review where the Journalist raved about the car, liked it yes, surprised with it’s performance? Yes that too, but think it is the best of breed? Sadly not. Golf GTi (mk1 1.6 for me please), 205 Gti, Clio Williams, Delta Integrale, all classics and raved about as the benchmark for others. The Fabia is a great little car but it is also platform shared with several others too, reducing it’s uniqueness.

I think it just isn’t special enough….sorry, I know how much you all love your cars. Plus will there be any unmodified vRS’s left in the future?? For me one of the benchmarks for a classic is it is good enough to leave well alone and forgive it any innate foibles.

Would it become a classic if it had bloated wheel arches like these?

Maybe its just a coincidence, but I love chunky arches and one of the reasons these two cars are gorgeous - the styling is so aggressive and one of the reasons these are considered classics - because of the way they look. Also most of the cult cars have racing heritage. Something the Fabia does not. Personally I think the Fabia is a decent and more than capable car and its looks are like marmite amongst people - Although I think its one of the better looking hatches out there.

... it wasn’t made for Homologation reasons.

I think it was you know...

The Fabia wasn't long enough to make it in the WRC so we ended up with the big chin wonder.

I think it was you know...

The Fabia wasn't long enough to make it in the WRC so we ended up with the big chin wonder.

The Intergrowler had things like an oil cooler for the steering pump, Rose jointed sispension etc, didn’t think the Fabia had anything special?

Although this one looks interesting….

The Intergrowler had things like an oil cooler for the steering pump, Rose jointed sispension etc, didn’t think the Fabia had anything special?

Nah it doesn't but one of the main reasons for it's existance was so Skoda could continue in the WRC.

I kind of agree with most things people have said. Classic? Who knows, but for the

chavs out there in a few years, with a few quid, this has got to be one of the most

sought after motors. 306 D Turbo not a classic, but certainly desirable. Same as the

VRS, frugal, quick, 5 doors, decent handling (with ARB), cheap? Decent insurance cost.

Not too many about, so quite individualistic. It ticks all the right boxes for me and

according to the Nintendo WII, my Wii age is 24. Aaaargh i`m a chav.