Wagon version of Skoda Fabia R5 rally car set for Wörthersee.
It's a Skoda rally car, obviously.
I think my eyes might be playing up, but it looks like an estate...
That's because it is. This is the Skoda Fabia R5 Estate (Combi, in Euro-speak), built especially for the huge Volkswagen-related tuning show held in Austria every year, at Wörthersee.
Crikey, will it ever compete in rallies?
Probably not, no. It looks like it's just a show-stopper for next week's Wörthersee event. However, it is based on the actual competition version, the Fabia R5, which is basking in the competitive glow of success having won the first rally it ever took part in.
Which one was that?
Sumava Klatovy, the opening round of the Czech Rally Championship. The 'normal' R5, by the way, will be on display in Austria alongside this wagon.
So what powers the R5 Estate?
A 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine, driving all four wheels through a five-speed sequential gearbox. Its lurid bodywork, finished in green, white and black, is completed by a spoiler of epic proportions perched on the boot. As fans of fast estate cars, and the perverse idea of load-luggers in motorsport (BTCC Volvo 850 or Civic Tourer, anyone?), we really quite like it.
Matt Robinson - 8 May 2015