AS THE POSTER CAR FOR A LOT OF tuners in India, there’s plenty of go-faster bits and tunes available for the Skoda Octavia RS 230. But there’s one tuner that stands out — Harmonixx Tuning. They’ve been the brains behind some of the fastest Octavia RS’ in the country and for good reason — they’ve got a track record for making them faster, and doing so reliably.
“For me, reliability was a huge issue,” says Manu Jose , who owns this Octavia RS. He bought the car due to a stroke of luck back in December 2017 and from day one, the plan with the RS was to spice it up, “because I knew the engine was reliable,” he adds. Muneem, a friend of Manu who runs Galaxy Accessories in Cochin got him in touch with Rahul from Harmonixx Tuning and the two got talking about possibilities for Manu’s RS.
The very first upgrades were the Black Diamond brake pads and Black Diamond slotted and drilled rotors. Manu has to be one of the first owners we’ve featured here who has actually started their build with the brakes. With just 7000km on the odometer came the Stage 1 APR ECU tune and an intake upgrade. “The difference from stock to Stage 1 is incredible,” says Manu, perhaps referring to the more linear and instantaneous power delivery. Of course, that was just the beginning.
BUILD COST
This Skoda Octavia RS 230 cost approximately `8 lakh to build, excluding the cost of the car and includes the following parts
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the magazine
FAST STEAD
This Skoda Octavia RS 230 is fast enough to blow your mind but not its engine
Ford Fusion
Practical, great engine and dynamics, but weird styling ensured buyers stayed well away
Mahindra Bolero Neo
Armed with an iconic badge, a fresh face and a mechanically locking differential, the Bolero Neo could just be the compact SUV you’ve been looking for
RISING FROM THE ASHES
The third generation Suzuki Hayabusa is one of the fastest production motorcycles in the world, and a bike that truly deserves to be ridden flat out at the High Speed Track at NATRAX
BIJOY KUMAR Y
Bijoy is quite looking forward to what the recent space launches could mean
DOA: HSV HRT 427
This racing-inspired 7-litre Holden Monaro garnered more than enough interest for its limited production run to sell out. But sadly the sums didn’t add up
Mini Cooper S Convertible
Mini gives the Convertible a more modern front end, more technology on the inside and a very bright paint scheme
VW Taigun GT
Good news! With two GT variants, Volkswagen are set to make the 1.5 TSI motor even more accessible to us enthusiasts
THE DOCTOR CHECKS OUT
As Rossi decides to hang up his boots after 26 seasons, we take a look back at his journey through MotoGP
“IF THE RATING IS DONE, NATRAX COULD BE ONE OF THE TOP THREE PROVING GROUNDS IN THE WORLD”
Speaking to Dr N Karuppaiah, additional director and centre head, NATRAX
Octavia Spencer
Playing Poppy Scoville-Parnell, a true-crime podcaster out to solve crimes on Truth Be Told Apple TV+, January 20), was always in the cards for Octavia Spencer.
YAMAHA TÉNÉRÉ 700 WORLD RAID
The arrival of the two Yamaha Ténéré 700 World Raid rally factory bikes in the Djerba bivouac caused a buzz.
The Spectacular Life of Octavia E.Butler
In recent years, the author has been hailed as prescient of our political moment. This is the story of the girl who grew up in Pasadena, took the bus, loved her mom and grandmother, and wrote herself into the world.
Winners Quit. Quitters Win.
Quitting is deeply misunderstood, says decision-making expert Annie Duke. You must stop thinking of it as failure, and start thinking of it as a strategy for growth.
Female Founders: Leading With Purpose
Here's a jaw-dropping stat: Female-owned businesses generate $1.8 trillion in revenue a year and that number is only going t continue to grow.
Female Founders 100
They're rethinking how things have always been done. And they're here to tell you what they've learned along the way.
How I Built a Baby Clothes Brand Moms Can't Resist
More than a decade after founding her eponymous children's clothing brand, Kate Quinn was still struggling to make a name for herself in the world of fashion. So, in 2018, she did what many in the sector have done of late and placed a bet on direct-to-consumer.
Mapping out a novel with Manuskript and the snowflake method: Plan Your Epic
The Manuskript editor is all you need to jump start your next writing project.
Can You Tell the Future?
Entrepreneurs need to know what's coming-or at least take their best guess. So how do you do it? Here, six leaders explain how they work their crystal ball.
Working Out the Kinks
After massage therapy improved Michelle Kameka's life, she and her husband wanted to bring it to their community. But to succeed, they needed to tweak a few things.