In 2014, Škoda introduced the first prototype car created by its secondary vocational school. Since then, student cars have become a tradition, so this year, after a one-year hiatus caused by the covid-19 pandemic, it is the eighth winged arrow car created by students. And in many ways, Afriq may seem the most radical of all prototypes to date.
The basis of the eighth student special was a small Kamiq SUV, which, however, underwent a thorough camouflage transformation. Rather than a car to the city, it now resembles a special for the Dakar Rally, and in the end this reminiscence is not an end in itself. Škoda has been responsible for the North African region since 2021 within the Volkswagen Group. The name Afriq and, in fact, the robust appearance, reminiscent of the original homeland of the famous long-distance rally, refer to this fact.
The Afriq, unlike the conventional Kamiq, is only a two-door, the rear pair of doors has been welded and attached to a protective cage. The car also received new bumpers, wheel arches and extended fenders, and the suspension was strengthened, which increased the ground clearance to 190 mm. The propulsion corresponds to this, because although the basic Kamiq is strictly a forerunner, the students used all-wheel drive originating from the Škoda Octavia for their creation. The same car also donated a two-liter petrol four-cylinder TSI with an output of 140 kW under the hood.
And because the production car can have a maximum of 110kW fifteen, due to the larger unit, it was necessary to adjust the mounting of not only its, but also the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and also the mounting of the front axle. The chassis also underwent a complex transformation, parts from the Octavia were also used at the rear due to axle modifications, and the bestseller also has a half-tank with a modified filling neck. Škoda does not state specific dynamic data, but the SUV weighs 1,350 kilograms.
In addition to the Octavia, components from the racing Fabia Rally2 evo were also used in the creation of Africa, after all, the students were directly assisted with the construction by experts from the motorsport division. From the world of special stages, the car can borrow, for example, a rear roof spoiler, similarly to the racing Fabia, it also has a ventilation flap in the roof, quick-release bonnet and rear doors or an additional light ramp. The OZ wheels then have 15 inches and are painted green, which harmonizes with the overall color concept of Afriqu, again following on from the existing rally specials.
In total, the student prototype measures 4362 mm in length, 1870 mm in width and 1570 mm in height, and between the axles it has 2649 mm. The cabin is very spartan again, following the example of racing specials. The most important there are anatomical seats with six-point seat belts, the racing Fabia then provided a steering wheel and dashboard with navigation. The car is recorded by two cameras with microphones, a fire extinguishing system located behind the passenger seat is necessary. An interesting feature is the Israeli Watergen water generator, which obtains drinking water from the surrounding air humidity.
The Afriq was built by 25 students, even with the aforementioned help of experts from the motorsport division, among others, for a total of four months and two thousand hours. The covid-19 pandemic and the associated restrictions have postponed the implementation of the prototype somewhat, so instead of last year, it was introduced this year.
–
