Irish customers have orders in as Skoda R5 impresses on rally circuit

How do you increase the list price of a car more than 10-fold and make a small family compact competitive with a high-end Ferrari at the same time? The answer is to add innovation and the engineering expertise of Skoda.

Irish motor sports enthusiasts are now able to enjoy at first hand the performance of the Skoda Fabia R5 rally car – that’s if they can afford the €221,000 asking price, of course. But with the economic recovery in full swing, that doesn’t appear to be much of a deterrent.

"With the improvement in the economy, we are getting more and more requests and interest in our motorsport vehicles," says Skoda Ireland head of marketing Ray Leddy.

“Prior to the Fabia R5 ,the Fabia S2000 was the European Rally Championship overall winner in 2012, 2013 and 2014, so we are seen as the most competitive vehicle in this category. Incredibly, used Fabia S2000 vehicles are fetching up to €120,000 on the second-hand market. Already three Fabia R5 vehicles have been delivered or ordered for customers here in Ireland.”

The R5 is continuing that record in 2016 with a rally win in Germany, podium finishes in Portugal and a very strong start in Britain. Fabian Kreim and co-driver Frank Christian overcame appalling road conditions to claim victory at the Saarland-Pfalz Rallye in the opening round of the German Rally Championship for ŠKODA Auto Deutschland.

In Portugal, there were hugely impressive performances by all the Fabia R5 drivers in the Rali Serras de Fafe. Pedro Meireles and co-driver Mário Castro took second place overall, less than 10 seconds behind the winners, and Miguel Campos and co-driver Carlos Magalhães finished in third, just over a minute further back.

It is little wonder then that the R5 is proving so popular with enthusiasts. Each car is hand-built by three specialist mechanics in the Czech Republic over 10 days and only 60 units are produced for the worldwide market each year.

The race-spec Fabia E5 is based on the third-generation Fabia and is equipped with a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine that produces approximately 280bhp.

With 0-100km/h acceleration times estimated at less than four seconds, the Fabia R5 can rub shoulders with some of the world’s best supercars. It also has supercar fuel consumption, guzzling 60l/ 100km or delivering 4.7 miles per gallon. Not really for those interested in fuel economy.

Depending on specification, the Fabia R5 can be purchased from €221,000 inclusive of taxes. “This may seem expensive,” Leddy says, “but the Fabia R5 has an exceptional track record when compared to its main competitors.

“The Fabia R5 will appeal to motorsport enthusiasts across Ireland and was designed to be easily managed and maintained, while at the same time having the capability to deliver high performance with ease of use. This continues Skoda’s proud tradition in motorsport over the past 115 years dating back to 1901.”

Adding to the attraction for owners is the tender loving care which goes into to making each vehicle truly special. “As well as taking 10 days for our team of mechanics to hand-build each car, even more time is spent on the production and painting of the exterior shell,” he adds.