Skoda's wildest race cars and concepts

From Monte Carlo wins to student-designed conception cars, Skoda has always had a knack for pushing limits.

Below, we item the astir important, influential and our favourite cars from 130 years successful the business.

Motorsport machines

Laurin & Klement CCR 1905

It wasn't an authoritative satellite championship, but successful the aboriginal 1900s the International Motorcycle Cup successful Dourdan, France, was the biggest lawsuit of the year.

Laurin & Klement motorcycles had competed from 1901 onwards, and successful 1905 Václav Vondrich scored the nascent firm's archetypal important occurrence riding a CCR. 

Skoda Rapid Six 1935

Laurin & Klement switched to four-wheeled contention with the Voiturette A successful 1906 and notched up successes successful assorted Czech events successful the pursuing years.

But the 1925 merger with Skoda Works provided the other fiscal clout to put successful a racing programme, starring to the Skoda Rapid Six that scored 3rd wide and a people triumph successful the 1935 1000 Miles of Czechoslovakia, an unfastened roadworthy endurance contention modelled connected the Mille Miglia. 

Skoda Popular Sport 1936

This fashionable instrumentality started Skoda's long-running estimation for producing compact rally cars that could instrumentality people wins and humble much almighty competition. Crewed by Zdenek Pohl and Jaroslav Hausman, a Popular Sport took 2nd successful the sub-1500cc people and 20th wide connected Skoda's archetypal clip astatine the Monte Carlo Rally. 

Skoda Octavia Sport 1961

The Octavia was launched successful 1959, with a Touring Sports version, utilizing a twin-carb motor taken from a Felicia convertible, pursuing a twelvemonth later.

In 1961 Esko Keinänen and Rainer Eklund scored a people triumph and finished an unthinkable sixth wide connected the Monte Carlo Rally. Skoda's ambitions successful this epoch went beyond rallying: the 1101 competed successful a drawstring of sports car races successful the 1950s, including successful the 1950 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

Skoda F3 1964

Skoda is champion known for its occurrence connected the rally stages, but it has dabbled successful single-seater competition. This machine, the F3, was utilized successful Formula 3 and Formula Junior successful 1964. It was powered by a water-cooled 1.0-litre four-cylinder motor that initially offered 76bhp. 

Skoda 130RS 1975

In 1974 the Skoda 200RS was the archetypal to diagnostic the Rallye Sport suffix that remains the badge (albeit arsenic vRS successful the UK) utilized for each of its show models. But it was the pursuing year's 130RS that became the existent operator of Skoda's motorsport success.

The 130RS was based connected the 110R coupé but featured a larger engine, with aluminium parts and fibreglass bumpers to trim weight. Produced for customers, it was nicknamed 'Porsche of the East' for its occurrence successful motorsport events.

There were a fig of Monte Carlo people wins, and successful 1981 Skoda won six of the 8 European Touring Car Championship races to assertion the title. It was followed by the 130LR, which was built to Group B specs and claimed a astonishment triumph connected the 1986 Turkish Rally. 

Skoda Favorit, Felicia and Octavia 1991-1999

The Volkswagen Group's acquisition of Skoda successful 1991 transformed the marque's roadworthy cars - on with its motorsport ambitions. In 1994 the steadfast entered the FIA World Rally Cup with the Favorit kit car, claiming the rubric archetypal clip out.

It was replaced by the Felicia, the archetypal motorsport instrumentality developed wholly nether VW ownership and which became celebrated for a drawstring of giant-slaying people wins with Stig Blomqvist down the wheel. More occurrence followed with the Octavia kit car, arsenic Skoda Motorsport built up its cognition to participate the apical level of satellite rallying. 

Skoda Octavia WRC and Fabia WRC 1999-2005

Skoda's results successful the World Rally Championship don't look that awesome - Armin Schwarz scored the team's azygous podium with 3rd connected the 2001 Safari Rally - but that reflects the spot of the bid successful that era.

The Octavia WRC-Skoda's archetypal four-wheel-drive and turbocharged rally car-lacked velocity but was renowned for its strength, arsenic evidenced by that podium connected the series' toughest event. 

Skoda switched to the Fabia WRC successful 2003 but ne'er truly had the resources to hone the car into a lucifer for the ascendant Citroën squad of the era. 

Skoda Fabia S2000 2009

Skoda's instrumentality to planetary rallying came successful the second-tier Super 2000 division, and the Fabia was the ascendant force, some with the works squad and galore customers.

Skoda sold 63 lawsuit cars, which combined to assertion 50 nationalist and planetary titles. The consequent Fabia R5 continued that success, with the works squad winning 5 consecutive WRC2 titles from 2015 onwards. 

Skoda Fabia Rally2 2021-

After respective years purely supporting customers, Skoda Motorsport plotted a instrumentality to the stages with a caller second-tier Rally2 challenger. The car was designed for durability and reliability and was accelerated close away, with Oliver Solberg scoring signifier wins connected its debut connected the 2022 Monte Carlo Rally. Andreas Mikkelsen past claimed the 2023 WRC2 title. 

Crazy concepts

Skoda AHOJ 2002

Designed by Thomas Ingenlath, this concept, which was based connected a Fabia platform, presented a simple, stripped-back car for young people. Sadly, it ne'er reached production. 

Skoda Vision C 2014

Skoda uses the Vision tag for its conception machines that hint astatine aboriginal accumulation versions. The super-stylish Vision C took the Octavia and reimagined it arsenic a five-door coupé, successful the mode of the modern Volkswagen CC. It yet inspired the Superb. 

Skoda Vision E 2017

This conception was Skoda's archetypal pure-electric vehicle, and it served arsenic the plan inspiration for the Enyaq Coupé. 

Skoda Mountiq 2019

Each year, students astatine Skoda's vocational assemblage are tasked with producing a conception car from plan to reality, utilizing a basal exemplary donated by the firm. The Mountiaq took a Kodiaq SUV and turned it into a go-anywhere, applicable but sporty pick-up. 

Skoda Vision GT 2022

A virtual conception for the Gran Turismo game, the Vision GT features classical styling inspired by some the 1100 and 130RS. 

Skoda Vision 7S 2022

A ample electrical SUV, the Vision 7S concept introduced the brand's caller Modern Solid plan connection that is present being rolled out. A accumulation mentation of the conception is owed to beryllium revealed adjacent year. 

Skoda Vision O 2025

Skoda's astir caller conception showcases however agleam the firm's aboriginal is. Revealed astatine this year's Munich show, the sleek Vision O previews a next-generation estate acceptable to spell into accumulation aboriginal adjacent decennary connected a caller level (likely to beryllium the VW Group's precocious caller SSP architecture).