FAST FLEET

Skoda Superb Sleeper Edition

- Aston Parrott

The wild, one-off 470bhp luxury estate joins the evo fleet. What will this under-the-radar super-Skoda be like to live with every day?

LAST YEAR, SKODA UK DID SOMETHING BRILLIANTLY unexpected.

To celebrate the outgoing third-generation Superb, a model that shifted more than 860,000 units worldwide, the company commissioned a one-off special with a very unorthodox mechanical spec.

On the surface, KY23 YVF is just another Superb Estate, albeit one in top-of-the-range Laurin & Klement trim, and finished in the fetching Royal Green hue that was added to the UK palette in 2023 to mark the coronation of King Charles III. But, beneath the skin, this is far from a regular Superb. This hand-built, UK-engineered creation is the work of RE Performance – the same outfit responsible for the Octavia vRS that our own Richard Meaden drove to 227mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats back in 2011, setting a land speed record for a 2-litre forced-induction production car in the process (see issue 162). The brief for RE Performance this time was simple: take the most luxurious Superb and turn it into the ultimate Q-car.

From the outside, it really does take a trained eye to notice this is something out of the ordinary. The stance is a touch lower, 50mm down on K&W coilover suspension, and you might spot the bright red AP Racing brake calipers that clamp 390mm front discs and 330mm rears. These are paired with Goodridge braided brake lines, while the 19-inch alloys are wrapped in sticky, lightly treaded Yokohama Advan A052 tyres. But beyond that, it looks subtle. No wings, no vents, no giveaways. It could just be a well-specced family estate with a fancy colour choice. There are certainly no clues to its biggest secret...