The Skoda Superb Sleeper Edition could be the ultimate Q car
One-off Superb is a 470bhp goodbye to the third-generation model
Skoda has revealed the one-off Sleeper Edition of its outgoing Superb Estate, to honour the outgoing third-generation model. As the name suggests, this Superb is in proud opposition to current performance car convention, with zero visual hints to the performance potential within.
The car has been built and prepared by RE Performance, the team responsible for the epic Skoda record car that evo’s Dickie Meaden drove to 227mph on the famous Bonneville Salt Flats in 2011. Unsurprisingly then, it’s pretty potent, with a highly-tuned version of the ubiquitous EA888 four-cylinder turbocharged engine delivering 470bhp at 6035rpm and 488lb ft at 3690rpm.
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That’s a jump in power of almost 200bhp, achieved with an upgraded Garrett PowerMax turbocharger and fueling system, in addition to an improved downpipe, intake and intercooler. That power is sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch DSG gearbox. There’s no word on what the added punch does for the Superb’s performance figures though we suspect it’ll crack 62mph much quicker than the 5.8 seconds it takes the standard (and excellent) 280. It also likely forgoes the usual 155mph speed limiter.
In order to keep the power in check, other elements of the Sleeper Edition’s dynamic appointment have been upgraded to suit. It gets a set of height-adjustable KW coilovers that sit the car 50mm lower, as well as high-spec AP Racing calipers gripping 390 and 330mm discs at the front and rear respectively. The wheels are shod in aggressive Yokohama Advan AO52 rubber.
The outside is as above, nondescript. If anything it errs on the side of stately, with a Royal Green paint finish – introduced in 2023 to celebrate the crowning of HRH King Charles III – and a Cognac leather interior. Spec-wise this Octavia is in top-level Laurin & Klement trim, meaning it’s fully kitted out with a massage drivers’ seat, a 9.2-inch infotainment display, Canton Sound System, tri-zone climate control, Matrix LED headlights and more. Being a Superb Estate, it also still has its voluminous 1950-litre load space with the seats down.
As it transitions from third to fourth-generation, the Skoda Superb sits at a sturdy 1.6-million units sold since its introduction in 2001. The outgoing car’s 860,000-unit tally makes it the most successful version.
The fourth-generation car has been on sale since June; one among many reasons this Sleeper Edition third-generation car isn’t earmarked for production. Though this car is emphatically a one-off and not for public sale, it is said to be joining the Skoda press fleet. Now there’s an idea for the evo Fast Fleet…
