Yes, it's true: Skoda has been building vehicles of all kinds for over 100 years and is proud to show this at the Techno Classica in Essen. The Czechs exhibit 16 exhibits, which offer a colorful cross-section of the company's history, and celebrate four anniversaries at the same time. 115 years of motorsport, 50 years of Skoda 1000 MBX, 40 years of Skoda 105/220 and 25 years of belonging to Volkswagen are worth mentioning. In the end, Skoda's motto for Techno Classica - “eventful history” fits.
The car manufacturer not only looks back on a 121-year company history, but also on challenges and turbulent times that produced milestones. Accordingly, the exhibits should symbolize power, energy and diversity. It all started with a single-cylinder motorcycle from 1901 by Laurin and Klement. This shows that motorsport has long been part of the company's history, as the two-wheeler won several long-distance races. Classics of the type TB, L80 and CCR will also be exhibited.
When it comes to cars, the Czechs rely on the Skoda Fabia R5, which competed in the WRC2 category in the World Rally Championship. But first things first, after all, the story starts earlier. After the Second World War, Skoda produced a sporty two-seater, the Supersport. The racing car with a four-cylinder in-line engine developed up to 180 hp and reached a maximum speed of 200 km / h. The big peculiarity: There were only two copies ever built, both of which were considered lost. In 2005, however, an amazing barn find became a reality and one of the two vehicles saw the light of day again. At the current Techno Classic, the racer shines in full splendor again.
Another exhibit will be in the shape of the 130 Skoda 1975 RS at the show. He also stands for the racing success of Skoda, as he was able to clinch a class victory at the Rally Monte Carlo. 1981 was even the profit of the brand ranking of the touring car EM with this vehicle booked. The replica of the Skoda Favorit F2 Rally marks a successful motorsport campaign of the Czechs: 1994 was the winner of the Ralley World Championship in the front-end class.
On the part of the pre-war models, the L&K So / 200, the Type 442 and the 110 Phaeton from 1928 will be shown at Techno Classica. It is the first model that was created when Skoda and Laurin & Klement merged. The comfortable luxury sedan marked the brand's first bestseller - quite the opposite of the much-scolded Volkswagen that bore the same name. In addition to this classic, there is another historic vehicle waiting for the trade fair visitors, a Skoda Rapid Cabrio from 1936. A special feature of the open-top Czech: It circled the world in 97 days and covered 27.000 km in the process. Even then, Skoda was able to convince with its reliability.
Another sports exhibit is the 1100 OHC sports car. The basis here was the Skoda 1000 MBX, which at the Techno Classica its 50. Birthday celebrates. The vehicle offers a rear-wheel drive and rear engine, which one can imagine today no longer at one of these Czechs. He made - so Skoda - one of the highlights of the 1.0 liter class and was crowned by the four-door - the Skoda 1000 MB. Added to this is the model family 105 / 120 and celebrates in Essen her 40. Anniversary. In 14 years of construction, this car proved to be a practical and inexpensive family car. Thanks to this reputation, he sold more than two million copies. The exhibited 120 LS is to remember the bestseller and carries a four-cylinder under the bonnet.
The end of the rear engines at Skoda was heralded with the 130 Rapid. The 1,2 liter engine was equipped with a modern five-speed gearbox in 1987 and even came up with an aluminum engine a year later. The Skoda 135 Rapid finally marks the last Skoda with rear-wheel drive. Those times were over since the link with Volkswagen. The merger is celebrating something like a silver wedding this year - its 25th anniversary. The first joint model was the Skoda Felicia in 1994, which can also be seen at the Techno Classica in Essen and can still be viewed until April 10th.