What on earth? This is the Skoda Enyaq RS Race, and it sheds over 300kg

Rally stages are perfect for small, manoeuvrable cars with ballistic amounts of power - that’s why wildly modified hatchbacks make sense. But what if you wanted to give your ordinary electric SUV a chance to shine on a tarmac rally? Well, Skoda has previewed just such a thing. Welcome to the Enyaq RS Race.

In essence, a Coupe vRS with two seats and the same 335bhp dual-motor powertrain and 82kWh battery, the key difference is weight: the RS sheds around *316kg* meaning it now creeps under two tonnes. That results in a sub-five-second 0-62mph time and likely a very big smile on the way there.

This diet has been achieved thanks to the use of sustainable biocomposite materials developed in partnership with Bcomp. Said materials aren't just here to improve the Enyaq RS’s speed and agility, but also to act as a testbed for use in future Skoda products. 

See that new body kit? It’s all made from the stuff - just as the wheel arches and pantomime rear wing are. Even the conventional side window panels have been swapped for polycarbonate, while the panoramic roof is gone in place of more biocomposite. 

The darker light signatures are met in the middle by a new LED strip, while low-profile tyres sit along the flanks and beefed-up skid plates guard below. Finishing up the exterior changes are a few vinyls and decals to tell you this is very much not a standard Enyaq. As if that needed clarification.

Mechanically, the RS gains new shock absorbers and springs, while Skoda’s had a play with the steering so it’s linear and features adjustable weights. The standard vRS gets a progressive setup. Oh, and it’s also thrown on a set of carbon ceramic brakes while at it. Yep, this Enyaq really wants to go racing.

Inside, you’ll spot a high-strength chrome-molybdenum steel roll cage, racing seats with six-point belts and a fire extinguisher. There’s a hydraulic handbrake in there to yank and send the rear wheels into look-at-me mode too, and the pedals from a Fabia RS Rally2 car. The revised infotainment unit is also paired with a new sound system that pumps more artificial sound into the interior (sigh) and is activated as low down as 18mph.

Skoda hasn’t yet announced if we’ll ever see the Enyaq RS Race compete, but wouldn’t that be a sight to behold?