Skoda S100 rear engined car.
Czechoslovakian-built rear engined cars have been little represented on the site so far, so hopefully this will redress things a little (although parts for classic Skodas have been appearing here in the free ads section for a few years now). The car shown is a lefthand drive Skoda, either the S100 or S110. Both look very similar, one has a 1.0 litre engine, the other a 1.1, both mounted out back. The 100 took over from the earlier 1000 MB in 1969, and sold well until production ceased in 1976, making way for the revised 105 series.
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In the days of the S100, Skoda was its own boss, and as such continued with the rear-engined principle for many years, the solid and reliable cars regularly winning their class in world rallying events. Developments were introduced gradually, the final rear-engined Skoda 130 Rapid Coupes of 1989 featuring fuel injected engines, but it couldn't last forever. Skoda switched to producing conventionally-specified cars such as the Favorit, still selling at a bargain price but without the distinctive look and sound of the 'classic' Skodas.
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The Skoda of today is now just another VW-owned brand, yet on the plus side is no longer the butt of stand-up comedians in working men's clubs. Their cars are now seen as sensible and well-built products by the buying public, to whom bullet-proof reliability and a modicum of class are more important than individuality, and world motorsport prowess. The fact that the new cars are heavily based on components lifted from competent but dull Volkswagens is seen as a positive rather than a negative factor. The final rear-engined Skoda was built in 1990.
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Return to Old Vehicle Photos Page 7. If cars of the 1950s are more your 'thing', then this period shot of a Skoda 440 may be more up your street!
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