RETURN TO GLORY

The Octavia RS is back to remind us why understated speed is the best kind

- By Kurt Morris

There are some cars whose reputations arrive long before the car itself does. The Skoda Octavia RS is one of them. Even before we had a chance to see it, hear it, or get anywhere near a racetrack, the news broke: the RS was coming back to India. And with that, India's enthusiast community collectively sat up, grinned, and hit the refresh button on every automotive forum they were part of.

The pent-up demand was always there. The last RS, brought in limited numbers a few years ago, had set the performance scene ablaze. Tuners across the country extracted frankly absurd levels of power from it, and owners drove them daily with the sort of pride only a practical rocketship can inspire. The Octavia RS wasn't just another quick sedan; it was the usable performance benchmark for city commutes, weekend drives, highway blasts, and track days. So when Skoda quietly confirmed that a fresh batch of Octavia RS units was inbound, the hype wrote itself. And then predictably, all 100 units for India sold out almost instantly. Blink-and-you-miss-it fast. Which is why, on paper, it felt strange when Skoda invited us to drive a car that no one could technically buy anymore. But there are a few invitations you simply don't question. Driving an RS at India's only Formula One circuit — Buddh International Circuit is one of them.

A cool, crisp Delhi morning with a hint of pollution in the air greeted us as we arrived at the gates of the circuit. The briefing was the usual mix of safety instructions, flag signals, dos, don'ts, and the gentle reminder that this is a Formula One track, not a highway. But even through all that, the bright lineup of RS cars waiting in the pit lane was hard to ignore low, purposeful, glinting under the early sun, almost impatient.