This Open-top Skoda Rapid Looks Really Cool, But It Isn’t For The Road

Like it or hate it, you have to appreciate the effort that must have gone into making this open-top Skoda Rapid. Engineered by students, this cabriolet is part of Skoda’s first student car project in India. The students are a part of the Skoda-VW group’s Academy Dual Vocational Training program in Mechatronics engineering, which offers hands-on experience in the automotive field. 

This project marks the beginning of Skoda’s Student Program in India and is inspired by the international Academy Azubi Student Car Project, where students have been building their dream car since 2014. One such project will be undertaken every year and the academy is even taking steps to implement this program as part of the students’ curriculum. This will offer the students a platform to showcase and implement creative and innovative ideas while providing them an opportunity to polish their skills and gain practical experience at the same time.

Creating this open-top Rapid came with a whole bunch of roadblocks as you’re entirely chucking the roof off a hardtop vehicle, which understandably has repercussions. And it might not sound like a biggie, but it is. To begin with, you don’t have a B-pillar, so you don’t have a panel to mount the seat belt mechanism on. This problem was solved by integrating the safety component within the front seats itself. 

If an open-top Rapid wasn’t already unique enough, the students customised it with a retractable badge and LED lip lighting on the bonnet, and an illuminated Skoda wordmark on the boot lid. 

Also Read: A Closer Look At Citroen C3 Aircross In 10 Images

Those touches are complemented by a fully-loaded black exterior accessories pack with contrasting yellow inserts, which also include a yellow finish for the brake callipers, making it look sporty. The students also plonked a newer, more up-to-date infotainment system on the inside, while the standard exhaust was replaced by a sporty exhaust system for more noise to match the show.

At the end of the day, the program and its corresponding projects are a win for everyone. The Indian students get exposure and experience, the Skoda-VW group’s efforts towards empowering the younger generation get validated, and we get to see some exceptional creations to talk about.