Car Reviews > Skoda > vRS 2000 Concept > Skoda vRS 2000 Concept Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Prices: £100,000 (build estimate)
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder
Gearbox: 7-speed twin-clutch DSG, 4-wheel drive
Power/torque: 265 bhp/ 245 Nm
0-62 mph: 6.6 seconds (estimated)
Top Speed: 150 miles per hour (estimated)
Economy: 30 miles per gallon (estimated)
Emissions: 220g per kilometre (estimated)
Equipment: Climate control, 18-inch powder-coated wheels, GPS, green metallic paint, alloy pedals

This unique roofless rally car concept is a truly sensational automobile.

This Skoda is truly a different kind of convertible, a drop-top variant of the Fabia S2000 championship winning rally car. Created for the Austrian Worthersee tuning show, the vRS 2000 Concept has now made the leap from the stand to the road.

Based on the IRC, the Skoda Fabia S2000 Intercontinental Rally Challenge vehicle, this is designed for use on the road and yet still has the competition vehicle’s 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine, capable of a bhp rating of 265, and its 4-wheel drive, as well as coming with the stage star’s flared wheel arches, which has vents in order to successfully channel heat away from the brakes.

This rally look is given its final touches with the inclusion of a deep front spoiler, 18-inch white alloy wheels, and aerodynamic splitter. Above the window line however, and this vehicle breaks with the norm for starters by not having a roof. It also has no need to have soft-top storage space, retains the rear seats, and has a couple of racy black speed humps on the rather neat little boot lid.

When it comes to the interior of the vehicle, drivers of the standard Fabia vRS will find plenty to recognise, with both the dash controls and the GPS screen having been taken directly from the hot hatch. The dash itself however has a silver composite weave coating, and there is also a Union Jack inlay included as a tribute to Skoda UK’s backing of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge 2010 title success.

Buckets have replaced the front seats, complete with 5-point harnesses, whilst the usual rear bench has been replaced by two individual seats. The cut down B pillars are covered by glass, which gives the illusion of pillarless windows while still retaining strength. The low seats still give the impression of being enveloped by the glass, even if they are as much as 5 – 10 centimetres lower than those in a standard car.

The lack of a roof does give you the chance to fully appreciate the gloriously gruff exhaust note of the rally-spec engine, while the concept also has superb traction and feels considerably speedier than the normal Fabia vRS. Instead of having a sequential racing gearbox, the engineers at Skoda have instead opted to use the 7-speed DSG version from the road car.

The change is fast and smooth, and yet the choice of automatic and manual seems more like a car that is desperately seeking to be the centre of attention rather than one that really wants to set fast special stage times. In spite of the noisy engine and open top, the vRS concept still manages to feel very refined upfront. Passengers in the rear seats will probably be rather buffeted when at high speeds, though it is unlikely to put them off thanks to the thrilling nature of the vehicle.

The Skoda vRS 200 Concept is amazing to look at and the potential of its performance just serves as an extra bonus. While there is zero chance of the car actually entering production, the level of both imagination and willingness to build vehicles that appeal to the heart and not just to the head bodes well for Skoda’s future hot hatches.

by Autoweb