The Fabia is really is going to need tuning to live up to the vRS badge. I know 0-60 isn't really representative of performance, but nearly 10 seconds sounds a bit tame, considering what it could have been with the 150 PD, or even the 1.8 20v Turbo engine.

It does look great though. Wonder what the pricetag and insurance are going to be like.

10 seconds is on the conservative side.

A (heavier) Golf with the same engine does it in around 8.5 seconds. So does the Seat Ibiza with this engine.

30-70 through the gears would be more indicative of performance, which would be around 7.5 seconds.

In standard form the 1.8T (150bhp) would be no quicker in everyday driving than a standard 130PD.

Bromleys do a tune for the PD type engines, as do Original and most of the other chippers too.

They are all in Diesel Car magazine.

Cheers

Originally posted by Kentish

not your Vectra clone here

Could we produce some more bumper stickers saying "Glad not to be part of the Vectra droids"

Scratch and replace with: Astra, Golf, Passat, Focus, Mondeo, Scenic, Laguna, 307, [every other second car you see], ...

LOL but that was a little reposte to the "van with windows" comments from some quarters,as was my little dittie.

But soon I will have to change it to "Limo driver" as my Superb will soon be ready for me:D

Cheers

ps bumper stickers...now thats an idea

Check this thread on the vortex

http://vwvortex.rely.net/gallery/gallery2.php?mode=album&album=/Motorshows/International%20Auto%20Shows/Geneva%20Motor=Show%202003/Geneva%202003%20Day%201&start=96#

Contains pics of the the WRC Fabia for real from the Geneva 2003 Motorshow.

Manny

Great pics there , thanx for sharing them!..I wish Skoda would build a roadcar with those huge arches and the bonnet vent and 4WD , and stuff in the TT 225BHP engine ...Now THAT would be a Fabia RS!

Duncan,

it was said at the release that Skoda were building 2500 road going versions of the WRC for homologation purposes.

Whether these will be with the flared arches or not is anyones guess. Peugeot had the do the same for the 206 and released the GT which had the longer front and rear bumpers. So there's hope.

Cheers.

Adrian.

Adrian

More likely to be just the elongated front and rear bumper valances like the 206 GT , but Im wondering if these will be fitted to all Fabia RS's , not just 2500 of them , as I havent heard of any kind of special edition one being sold.

I want one.

This week's Autosport magazine ran a story on the Fabia WRC. I've scanned the entire article:

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Do you know why the fabia Rs has the TDi engine in and not the 1.8T from the Octavia vRS? It's because Volkswagen are miffed off enough about the fabia destroying the Golfs sales in all areas, except for high performance and they're worried that witht the same engine as the golf GTI then the fabia is just going to kill off sales for the Golf completely (As seen with superb versus Passat).

Spoil sports. Oh well, somehow I don't think it'll be that easy

.

From autosport.com:

Skoda puts new Fabia through its paces

Gravel test debut for new WRC machine

Absolutely Fabia: The new Skoda...

...made its test debut in Italy

Skoda put the first serious miles on its new Fabia WRC challenger during a test in Italy last week.

Drivers Didier Auriol and Toni Gardemeister drove the new machine at Mont Alcino in Toscana. The team, which intends to replace its Octavia in the last quarter of the season with the new car, will concentrate on its loose surface set-up before switching its attentions to asphalt.

"We will be testing all of the time," Petr Kohoutek, Skoda's director of motorsport told AUTOSPORT. "When we are happy that we have got the car right, then we will bring it out. We have seen in the past that other teams have brought out their World Rally Car a little too early and haven't done so well in competition. We are very keen to avoid this.

"There are four strong teams in the WRC, then Skoda and Hyundai," he added. "This is the right time to make the change of car and make a bigger impact on the championship. Everybody in the team sees the future now."

The Fabia is viewed as Skoda's best chance to break into the WRC elite after years of trying with the bulky Octavia.

Auriol said: "The Fabia is 100 percent the reason why I came back to rallying. I am so excited about it. You only have to look at it to know it will be faster than the Octavia."

WRC in action

Picture 2