{"id":189972,"date":"2022-07-04T14:00:57","date_gmt":"2022-07-04T14:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=189972"},"modified":"2022-07-05T05:53:38","modified_gmt":"2022-07-05T05:53:38","slug":"a-primer-on-the-red-skoda-enyaq-iv-the-tour-de-frances-leading-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2022\/07\/04\/a-primer-on-the-red-skoda-enyaq-iv-the-tour-de-frances-leading-car\/","title":{"rendered":"A Primer on the Red \u0160koda ENYAQ iV, the Tour de France\u2019s Leading Car"},"content":{"rendered":"

Besides the Arc de Triomphe, the winding mountain climbs, and, of course, the peloton, the striking red leading car is one of the most characteristic symbols of the La Grande Boucle. Traditionally found at the launch of each stage and the tip of the peloton, the Tour director\u2019s car serves as a \u2018mobile captain\u2019s bridge\u2019 and is essential for the race\u2019s organisational efforts. Let\u2019s take a closer look!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The leading cars are basically headquarters on four wheels with one essential job: to chauffeur around the Tour directors. This year, it\u2019s Christian Prudhomme and, after a 33-year hiatus, also a Tour de France Femmes director, Marion Rousse. In 2020, \u0160koda, the Tour\u2019s sponsor for nearly two decades, introduced the all-electric \u0160koda ENYAQ iV<\/a> as the leading car, the model being fresh off the assembly line at the time. As a harbinger of change, the ENYAQ iV was not only the first all-electric vehicle to lead the Tour de France peloton, but also \u0160koda\u2019s first model using the modular electrification toolkit (MEB) as a powertrain in a bid for sustainability. After the initial run proved successful, the ENYAQ iV replaced the traditional leading \u0160koda SUPERBs for good.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=d4QPYT5SebI&feature=emb_title<\/p>\n

The manufacturing of the leading cars falls into the \u201ctop secret\u201d category, but we were lucky enough to learn a few details last year<\/a>. The cars\u2019 transformation takes place near Mlad\u00e1 Boleslav, the Czech Republic, under the skilled hands of Mr. Martin Smutn\u00fd and others at Best Modell, a small specialised workshop. The changes the vehicles undergo before gaining their honourable role aren\u2019t just cosmetic, although the external add-ons \u2013 the \u2018Velvet Red\u2019 paint job, the banners and decals, the yellow attachment above the windscreen, the six antennas \u2013 are usually the details you notice first.<\/p>\n

In the workshop, the cars are stripped to the bone,<\/a> rewired, reupholstered and fitted with a panoramic, retractable sunroof, a two-way radio and a communication console found between the car\u2019s front seats, along with a mini-fridge for two bottles of Champagne accompanied by unique 3D-printed glass holders, and extra batteries to power all this additional hardware. The sunroof, which the builders say is the trickiest part to make, is used by the directors, who stand and wave the starting flag at \u2018Kilometre Zero\u2019 and also observe the peloton.<\/p>\n

\"ENYAQ<\/a><\/p>\n