10 Years After Reaching 227 Mph, the Fastest Skoda Ever Is Completely Rebuilt

Octavia RS isn't the most thrilling performance car on the market, but it does appeal to buyers looking for more utility than the Volkswagen Golf GTI on which it is based. Skoda UK's technical center traveled to the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2011 with a second-gen vehicle in an attempt to create a new record for a production car with a turbocharged 2.0-liter motor.

In less than two months, the entire project was completed. This is how the 600-hp Octavia RS was conceived, with roughly two-thirds the power of today's gasoline-powered variant.

A big Garrett turbocharger and a water-injection system were added to the 2.0 TSI engine, along with a beefier intercooler, race oil, and a remapped ECU. A bigger radiator, new engine mounts, and enhanced injectors were all installed on the turbo four-pot. It produced about three times the power of the stock engine. The gasoline engine was coupled with a limited-slip differential and a transmission taken from the Superb GreenLine.

The automobile was reduced by 80 millimeters (3.1 inches), and it was equipped with 15-inch steel wheels with aero-optimized covers and Goodyear Eagle Dragway Special tires. The record-breaking car touched 227.080 mph (366 km/h) on August 19, 2011, and it has now been entirely restored to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the record. It’s obvious that transforming a practical front-wheel-drive family hatchback into an automobile that can outrun a Porsche 918 Spyder was no simple task.

In case you're curious, George Poteet's Speed Demon with 3,156-hp set a world record for a piston-engined automobile at the Bonneville Salt Flats on August 14 of last year, hitting 470.015 mph (756.415 km/h). Its peak speed was 481.576 mph (775.021 km/h).