| New Racer | Super 2000 Rally | Skoda Fabia Super 2000 |
A Skoda race car might once have been the punchline to a poor joke, but the Czech firm is deadly serious about its ambitions with the Fabia Super 2000. It packs 280bhp from its normally aspirated engine and has a six-speed sequential gearbox and four-wheel drive.
The car has been developed to race in the Super 2000 series and will be ready for 2008 to compete at national and international levels. Skoda will also supply private teams with cars and provide service and spares back-up.
The Fabia 2000's styling hints at how the next vRS hot hatch model will look when it arrives towards the end of 2008. The deep front spoiler and side skirts will feature on the road car, but Skoda will not say what engine will be under the bonnet.
It's likely the next Fabia vRS will continue to offer a diesel engine, with the VW Group's 138bhp 2.0-litre turbodiesel used. Skoda is also thought to be working on a petrol-engined vRS that could use a 1.4 TSI engine with turbocharger and supercharger that produces around 170bhp.
Alisdair Suttie - 14 Feb 2008