WRC Development

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Fabia World Rally Car Development



The Fabia World Rally Car was introduced at the 2003 Geneva Motorshow, and made its competition debut at Rally Deutschland in July 2003. The new rally car was designed and engineered by the SkodaAuto Technical Department in the Czech Republic. Thomas Ingenlath, Chief Designer at Škoda Auto, was in charge of the design team. Here, he talks about the development of the Fabia World Rally Car.



Thomas Ingenlath has been the Chief Designer for Škoda Auto since March 2000. Here, he explains the design process behind the transformation of the Fabia vRS road car into the Fabia WRC rally car.



How long did it take you to design the Škoda Fabia WRC?

All in all the process took almost nine months from the first sketches to the final data in the computer that were used to make the tooling for Fabia WRC body.



How many people have been involved with the design?

The designer that came up with the idea for the final design and took care of the model during the whole process is Daniel Petr. He is crazy about motorsport and was already involved in the design of the Octavia WRC. The modelling team was up to six modellers. You need people to prepare different versions of wings to be tested in the wind tunnel and people to sleek the clay so that the highlights run perfectly.



The Škoda Fabia WRC is based on the Škoda Fabia vRS. What are the main design differences?

The rally car has a complex four-wheel drive system, where the Fabia vRS has a front-wheel drive system. This means that we have to provide space under the car for all the components and modify the floor pan of the car. The Fabia WRC also has a wider body than the Fabia vRS, which means that we had to modify the sides of the car.



With its giant wheels and wide track the bumpers and wheel arches had to be completely modified. That is why we used the blister theme for the fenders, a classic feature of the rally car history.



An important difference is that the rally car has a safety cage inside made of tubing and is much stiffer than the road car to cope with the heavy impacts which the rally car has to take during the high-speed sections on rough roads. Therefore, the interior of the WRC was completely stripped out and reduced to the technical functions.



Which were the main prerequisites you had to take into account?

The car has to comply with the rules of the Federation Internationale Automobile (FIA). The FIA defines the basic dimensions, the minimum weight, and the technical specification for all cars that take part in any form of international competition. We also looked at aerodynamics, because the cars sometimes reach high speeds and road-holding is one of the main things in rallying.



Which design features did you use which are typical for Škoda Auto?

Basically, we tried to emphasise the key design features of the Fabia in the WRC model and make it a beefy little power machine with the self-confident and cheeky face from the production car. The solid styling of the Fabia is perfectly counter-balanced by the big wheels and wide track of the WRC version. With its big wheels and wide stance the WRC was fun to model and we loved working on it.



What kind of design tools did you use?

After collecting various ideas in form of sketches we started, after just four weeks, a full-size clay model. We modelled the left side different to the right side, according to two different ideas for the fenders. After another month, we decided on the better-looking version. The model was then made symmetrical and all the details were put in.



Later, we spent a lot of time in the wind tunnel to get the spoiler shapes at front and back right, so that they would fulfil the demands of our engineers. At the end all that was scanned in 3D and “remodelled” in the computer.



Škoda Auto uses very modern computer techniques for the design of body structures, and components. We use CAD to remodel the shape of the clay model exactly in perfect surface data. Computer data is also used to calculate strength and durability. For these calculations we use Finite Element calculation software (FEM).



How did co-operation with your motorsport suppliers proceed?

After the first specification of the Škoda Fabia WRC had been made, our partners were involved immediately. We achieved very good co-operation with development steps taken in parallel. This way we have achieved an optimum package at the end of the day.



Will design elements of the Fabia WRC also be seen in normal production cars? Does the design of the Fabia WRC generate any knowledge that can be used in the production cars?

The work on the Škoda Fabia WRC has made us aware how flexible and strong the design of the Škoda Fabia vRS is. The Fabia vRS is an example of modern design, and I am convinced that it will have a long lease of life.



What other design work have you carried out for Škoda Auto?

I have been head of Skoda Design for more than three years. In this time we put the Škoda Superb into production and Škoda Design has presented show cars at various motorshows: the Škoda Fabia, the Ahoj, the Tudor and the Roomster. And of course the new Škoda Octavia was designed under my guidance.



Thomas Ingenlath - Curriculum Vitae

1964 Born at Krefeld, Germany

1989 Studies Automobile design at University in Pforzheim

1991 Masters in vehicle design at Royal College of Art before joining Audi Design as exterior designer.

1995 Chief exterior designer for passenger cars at Volkswagen Design.

2000Appointed Chief Designer at Škoda Auto.

2001

Skoda Fabia World Rally Car 2004 Technical Specification

   Skoda Fabia World Rally Car						  2004 Technical Specification

             

         Engine

          

          

              

         Type

          

         4 cylinders, 5 valves per cylinder, 2000cc, dual overhead   camshafts,
   Garrett TR30R turbocharger with ALS

              

         Bore/stroke (mm)

          

         82.5/93.5

              

         Compression ratio

          

         8.7 : 1

              

         Max power (bhp/kW)

          

         300bhp/221kW @ 5500rpm

   34mm restrictor on turbocharger per FIA regs

              

         Max torque (Nm)

          

         600Nm @ 3500rpm    (370 ft.lbs.)

              

         Lubricants

          

         Shell

              

         Transmission

          

         Fixed four-wheel drive on all wheels with three   electronically controlled, active differentials (front, rear and inter-axle)

              

         Clutch

          

         Carbon with three plates

              

         Gearbox

          

         6-speed sequential plus reverse, 

   semi-automatic gearing and steering wheel shifter

              

          

          

          

             	 Brakes								    Disc brakes, internally   cooled

              

         Front 

          

         378 x 32mm (asphalt)     308 x 28 (gravel)

              

         Rear 

          

         355 x 28 mm (asphalt)     304 x 25 (gravel)

                   Handbrake		  				   Upright, longer than   standard.  Activates hydraulic

   													   system on   all 4 wheels & disconnects inter-axle

    

             	 Suspension/wheels/tyres

              

         Suspension

          

         McPherson strut– front and rear – with anti-roll bar and   uprights of  titanium (asphalt) or   steel (gravel)

              

          

          

         Coil springs and 

   individually adjustable gas-hydraulic dampers

              

         Wheels

          

         Magnesium alloy

   8.0J x 18” – asphalt

   7.0J x 15” – gravel

   5.5J x 16” – snow

              

         Tyres

          

         Michelin

              

         Steering

          

         Rack and pinion with power assistance

              

         Safety equipment

          

         Sparco

    

             	 Dimensions

              

         Length (mm)

          

         4002

              

         Width (mm)

          

         1770

              

         Height (mm)

          

         Depends on set-up

              

         Wheelbase (mm)

          

         2462

              

         Front track (mm)

          

         Depends on set-up

              

         Rear track (mm)

          

         Depends on set-up

              

         Weight (kg)

          

         1230

              

         Competition debut

          

         July 2004