The Legend That Was the Škoda Felicia Kit Car

Škoda Motorsport is celebrating 125 years, and we are looking back at its sweetest victories. Last time, we ended our journey at a pivotal moment in the history of the brand – following the fall of the Iron Curtain and its joining the Volkswagen Group. Today, we pick up right where we left off with the legendary Felicia.

The Škoda Felicia is a true legend, a car in which some millennials first learned to drive, and one that remains an inseparable part of the roads in its home country to this day. As a new model, it also took the Mladá Boleslav-based carmaker through a large part of the 1990s in motorsport. The sleek hatchback entered production in 1994. The sharp, angular lines of the Favorit were replaced by modern curves and elegance, although in terms of its concept, the car was still based on its predecessor.

The Favorit regularly won in the under-1,300 cc category and capped off its winning streak with a world title in 1994. The Felicia thus had a strong legacy to build upon. Škoda Motorsport responded to the new Kit Car category regulations with this new model and developed a competition car equipped with a more powerful 1,490.9 cc engine.

The Felicia made its competitive debut on the 1995 Rally Sweden, with established drivers such as Emil Triner and Pavel Sibera behind the wheel. By the end of the year, the Felicia had contested 24 rallies, 7 of them counting towards the World Rally Championship. It finished third overall in the F2 class, a promising result that encouraged the drivers ahead of the following season. The Felicia then burst onto the scene in the new season equipped with a Volkswagen Group 1.6-litre OHC engine, helping it achieve an impressive 174 horsepower.

Škoda Felicia Kit Car 1600

The Volkswagen Group 1.6-litre OHC four-cylinder engine with multi-point fuel injection had never been used for racing before. It only acquired its competitive character in the Škoda Motorsport workshops. The cast-iron four-cylinder engine was fitted with forged pistons, connecting rods and crankshaft, while a new camshaft was used for valve timing. The resulting output was an impressive 174 hp, with the engine delivering its best at 8,000 rpm. The car was also equipped with a twin-plate clutch, a limited-slip differential and a six-speed gearbox. Disc brakes were fitted to all four wheels, with ventilated discs at the front. Under the regulations, however, the Felicia had to retain the production body shell, roof, doorsand glazing. Its competition character was then enhanced not only by the livery, but also by wider mudguards, which made room for larger rally wheels and brakes.

At the 1996 Rally Portugal, the debut of the 1.6-litre engine saw Pavel Sibera finish second among the front-wheel-drive cars. In Australia, he even took victory with the Felicia, while Emil Triner repeated the achievement in New Zealand. His phenomenal arrival at the finish ramp in a long, sweeping drift can still be seen today in compilations of some of the greatest moments in rallying history.

In 1996, however, another crew shone behind the wheel of the new car. For three rallies, the cockpit was occupied at the invitation of the team by the then already 50-year-old Swedish champion Stig Blomqvist, with Benny Melander alongside him. The legendary driver was brought in specifically to assist with the development of the 1.6-litre engine and was entered as the third car for the British RAC Rally, which returned to North Wales that year and was held as part of the F2 championship.

The Swede was literally flying with the Czech hatchback. The notoriously capricious Welsh weather also prepared a baptism of fire for the drivers. Mud would probably still have been manageable, but when snow began to fall, the drivers were faced with mixed conditions and even icy surfaces on the forest roads. Even experienced competitors had their work cut out to keep their cars on the road.

Stig Blomqvist demonstrated his mastery and dominated all two-wheel-drive cars in Wales. His closest pursuer trailed him by more than seven minutes. His pace was so blistering that the Swede began to edge his way into higher categories with his little Škoda. The result was ultimately third place overall.