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Skoda reveals foxy Fabia
The covers have come off Skoda's new World Rally Championship challenger, the Fabia World Rally Car.
Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, the Czech pocket rocket is expected to make its WRC debut in the last quarter of the 2003 season, replacing the current Octavia WRC.
The new rally car is based on the Fabia RS and Skoda's chairman, Vratislav Kulhánek, says the new car is ideally suited to be showcased in the WRC.
"The new Skoda Fabia WRC will be the Skoda Motorsport Team's technically most sophisticated contender to date in a long line of high-performance models that have contributed to the brand's sporting tradition and emphasised Skoda Auto's image of reliability, endurance and technical competence," he said.
"The new car, based on the platform of the brand's current bestseller, is the core element of the strategic plan for the coming years. New strategical partners like Shell or T-Mobile are a vital part of it as well. I am glad to represent the brand that belongs to the very exclusive club of six global manufacturers active on the most exciting motorsport scene called World Rally Championship."
Although based on the Fabia RS, the Fabia WRC has been extensively modified in almost all areas within FIA rules.
In order to accommodate its wider tyres and larger wheelbase on both axles, the bumpers and wheel arches have been adjusted to reach the maximum admissible width of 1,770 mm. The floor pan was modified to allow installation of a 4WD.
The front windscreen and the side windows are electrically heated to ensure good visibility for the driver under all climatic conditions.
The Fabia WRC rally car uses the latest evolution of the turbocharged 2-litre four cylinder engine, which through the years has proved its reliability in the Skoda Octavia WRC and produces approximately 300 bhp, equivalent to the engine output of all manufacturers participating in the WRC
The covers have come off Skoda's new World Rally Championship challenger, the Fabia World Rally Car.
Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, the Czech pocket rocket is expected to make its WRC debut in the last quarter of the 2003 season, replacing the current Octavia WRC.
The new rally car is based on the Fabia RS and Skoda's chairman, Vratislav Kulhánek, says the new car is ideally suited to be showcased in the WRC.
"The new Skoda Fabia WRC will be the Skoda Motorsport Team's technically most sophisticated contender to date in a long line of high-performance models that have contributed to the brand's sporting tradition and emphasised Skoda Auto's image of reliability, endurance and technical competence," he said.
"The new car, based on the platform of the brand's current bestseller, is the core element of the strategic plan for the coming years. New strategical partners like Shell or T-Mobile are a vital part of it as well. I am glad to represent the brand that belongs to the very exclusive club of six global manufacturers active on the most exciting motorsport scene called World Rally Championship."
Although based on the Fabia RS, the Fabia WRC has been extensively modified in almost all areas within FIA rules.
In order to accommodate its wider tyres and larger wheelbase on both axles, the bumpers and wheel arches have been adjusted to reach the maximum admissible width of 1,770 mm. The floor pan was modified to allow installation of a 4WD.
The front windscreen and the side windows are electrically heated to ensure good visibility for the driver under all climatic conditions.
The Fabia WRC rally car uses the latest evolution of the turbocharged 2-litre four cylinder engine, which through the years has proved its reliability in the Skoda Octavia WRC and produces approximately 300 bhp, equivalent to the engine output of all manufacturers participating in the WRC