By Kamil Kaluski
Attention! Attention! There is a classic Skoda 130 LR in the Dakar Rally! And it looks amazing!
Yes, usually decades-old race cars don’t participate in the Dakar Rally but this year things are different. This year there is a special class for classic racers from the 1980s and 1990s. And this Skoda is one of the twenty-six vehicles participating in it.
With more than double the engine power of its factory cousins, at around 130 horsepower(!), the rear-engined Skoda is slightly low on power versus its competition. That competition includes Range Rover, G-class Benzitos, and a Porsche 911SC. Here is the crazy part – being in fifth place overall (at the time of this writing), the Skoda is ahead of all those vehicles after winning stage six.
That is incredible. Something something slow car fast.
You should follow the team’s facebook page for other awesome pictures. And also – there is a classic Skoda 130 LR in the Dakar Rally!
Source: Autoblog Poland
Jeff Glucker 
Eric Rood
Kamil is quite right to highlight the Skoda, but the rest of the ‘Classics’ class is well worth checking out: As well as the obvious entries (various Landcruisers etc.) there are beach buggies, a Baja Bug, a Peugeot 504 pick-up, a Unimog and an 8×8 MAN truck. Look at https://www.dakar.com/en/competitors for info on all the competitors and what they are driving.
(Team Doria have even entered a V6 Montero! We are expecting great things from Jeff in next year’s event…)
Fifth place, wow! Very respectable, and the photos are amazing.
I checked out the link @Monkey Tennis provided and it is astonishing how few teams have female drivers. You’d think something as huge as the Dakar would attract more diverse teams?
Bravo Skosa. Dakar is prove that Skoda is not joke!
Only so many times you can win the RAC rally I guess..
https://www.fastcar.co.uk/_archive/2013/10/1-Skoda-130LR-Estelle-Rally.jpg
More here. Not much power but not much weight either, 720kg.
https://www.skoda-storyboard.com/en/motorsport/remarkable-story-skoda-130-lr/
Great looking car, and excellent photos!