125 YEARS OF ŠKODA: iconic cars

The first automobile to come out of the town of Mladá Boleslav followed up the successes of SLAVIA bicycles and LAURIN & KLEMENT motorcycles that culminated in 1905 with the title of unofficial world champion from Dourdan track near Paris. With its one-litre two-cylinder V engine, the L&K VOITURETTE A delivered what was then an adequate power output of seven horsepower and boasted outstanding handling and driving qualities and excellent value for money. The VOITURETTE A that could hit 40 km/h was followed in the subsequent years by more models, again named with letters.

Production of the excellent S series lasted for a remarkable 14 years, making it a bestseller in the process: more than 2,000 of them were made. Partly thanks to the S series, LAURIN & KLEMENT soon became the biggest motor works in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1913, for example, the L&K Sg version came in ten basic body designs, including the Doctor or Lady coupés or the Progress utility version.

In 1925, LAURIN & KLEMENT joined forces with one of the biggest machine engineering and armaments concerns in Central Europe, the Pilsen-based giant Škoda. The L&K/ŠKODA 110 transition model was available in a whole series of modifications, including soft-top and hard-top versions. The principle of two cars in one was implemented by the original modular design with a removable rear section: as a result, a proper passenger car could be converted into a practical two-seater flat-bed truck. This meant that a tradesman could use the car for Sunday outings with wife and kids having spent all week delivering goods in it.

When the company was looking for a name for ŠKODA’s new flagship automobile in 1934, they picked SUPERB. The manufacture of the six-cylinder Š 640 SUPERB began in earnest in 1935. Its exclusive features included a built-in six-valve radio receiver and a rosewood side compartment separating the space for the driver from the comfort zone reserved for eminent passengers: politicians, diplomats and businessmen. Buyers included the Zlín-based shoe firm of Baťa, which also made tyres of the same name used on ŠKODA vehicles.

In January 1936, a ŠKODA POPULAR came second in the sub-1,500 cm3 category in the tough Monte Carlo rally. The company struck while the iron was hot: shortly afterwards, they offered customers a sports car in roadster or coupé design in commemoration of this excellent racing result. In addition to progressive technical solutions like the stiff but light backbone frame, all-wheel independent suspension and a transaxle drive chain, the ŠKODA POPULAR Monte Carlo also won fans with its elegant aerodynamic body.  

The ŠKODA OCTAVIA bore a melodious name. It was originally a Latin woman’s name meaning “eighth”. Why eighth? It was the eighth model developed by ŠKODA with a progressive backbone frame, but also the eighth model in the motor works’ post-war existence. Whatever the case, it became a bestseller whose qualities were proven by outstanding successes in demanding races and competitions, including a hat-trick in its class in the Monte Carlo rally. Scandinavian drivers in particular performed wonders in OCTAVIA cars on snow and ice. The basic version with a stepped rear end was soon joined by an even more practical ŠKODA OCTAVIA COMBI, which remained in production till 1971.   

1964 saw the debut of a whole new generation of ŠKODA cars with a rear-mounted four-cylinder engine and rear-wheel drive. One of Europe’s best cars of its day in the one-litre category, almost 443,000 “MBs” were made. Besides sophisticated technical designs like the engine block made by aluminium pressure-casting, an original Czech method, the new state-of-the-art part of the factory making it possible to substantially increase production was the pride of the Mladá Boleslav firm. In addition to the basic ŠKODA 1000 MB sedan and more powerful eleven-hundred model, there was also a two-door MBX modification. Rear-engine rear-wheel drives were very popular in European cars in the first half of the 1960s and ŠKODA continued to develop the design until the start of the 1990s.

The elegant ŠKODA 110 R coupé with the 2+2 seats configuration was the baby of the Kvasiny plant in East Bohemia. Most of the 57,000 “R” models headed abroad. It is not just the graceful roof lines that catch the eye, but the tasteful design of the B pillars of the body and doors without window frames – not to mention the anatomical seats and lavish dashboard. Age has done nothing to diminish the coupé’s popularity: among collectors it is a much sought-after representative of the 1970s. The 110 R was in 1975 the basis for another motorsports legend, the ŠKODA 130 RS. The RS’s performances on rally courses and circuits earned it the nickname “the Porsche of the east”. Its 1300-litre engine delivered 140-183 horsepower and top speeds of up to 220 km/h.  

The FAVORIT model brought a fundamental change in ŠKODA drive systems from “all at the rear” to “all at the front”. The front-mounted engine and front-wheel drive were in line with the modern trends of the day, freeing up luggage room behind the collapsible rear seat row and allowing for estate and pick-up versions. Its well-balanced practical qualities helped create another legend of the ŠKODA brand. The body’s attractive design was the work of Italy’s acclaimed Bertone studio. The basic five-door hatchback was soon joined by the FORMAN estate, the PICK-UP goods vehicle and other versions, including ambulances: this family came to have over a million members. 

1996 brought the ŠKODA first model entirely developed as part of the Volkswagen concern. It was also the first C-segment car in the brand’s modern history and, what’s more, a worthy bearer of the renowned OCTAVIA name. Buyers liked both its huge luggage space and the outstanding value for money it offered. The body, the first car body developed using CAD (Computer Aided Design) in the company’s history, was also very safe. The timeless elegant design was the work of an in-house team led by Dirk van Braeckel. Continually updated, the OCTAVIA I rolled off the assembly lines until 2010. Towards the end of its career it was manufactured in parallel with its second-generation successor. 

In 2016, 40 years after the New Zealand multipurpose TREKKA was made using OCTAVIA Super sedan technology as its basis, the first member of ŠKODA’s new SUV family saw the light of day: the spacious KODIAQ, named after the powerful brown bear of Alaska. Its luggage room made it the most spacious SUV in its class. Its other strengths include state-of-the-art electronics, including assistance systems. The eCall emergency call function came as standard and the ŠKODA Connect App made it possible to locate, check up on and configure the vehicle remotely by smartphone. The KODIAQ was soon followed by more compact SUVs: the KAROQ and KAMIQ.  

The first mass-produced, fully electric ŠKODA relies on a quiet and responsive 61 kW motor. The energy stored in lithium-ion battery cells with a 36.8 kWh capacity enables a driving range of 252 km in WLTP terms. Standard features include a number of online functions allowing remote activation of the air-conditioning, for example, battery charging or checking the ŠKODA CITIGOᵉ iV’s range, wherever you are.