First thing for me was the fact that a lot of my colleagues at work (we was coal miners back in the 70’s) were buying so called ‘eastern block’ cars, and it was often a topic of conversation while at work, as to how good or not these cars were.

 

I’m not too sure myself if Skoda really was eastern block or not?  Or if Skoda simply got lumped in with other makes coming from places like Russia and Poland, I remember them being officially named as ‘Comi Com’ cars or something like that!  But for sure there certainly was quite a lot of Skoda’s, Lada’s, Polskifiat’s and Moskovitche’s in the pit car park.

 

As for myself I was more in to Ford Escort Mexico’s, MG’s and Mini Coopers, more of your sporty kinda stuff.  One day at work I found myself deriding eastern European make’s to some of the older guy’s in the pit who were buying them, when suddenly one of them brought me up sharp on my assertions that they’re crap, this chaps nickname was Snowflake, due to his big mop of white hair, only nobody dared call him Snowflake to his face, he would go nuts and assault any young kid who dared to do it.  Snowflake was a post WW2 refugee, but nobody really knew from exactly where in Europe he came from!  My mistake had been to lump Skoda in with all those other makes of eastern European car, and it was this that caused Snowflake to jump up and angrily tell me that Czech precision engineering used to be best in the world before WW2.  He explained about in the war, when Hitler invaded and snatched all the Czech tanks to use himself because they were reliable and didn’t breakdown.  I never forgot what Snowflake said and sure enough it turned out there’s evidence he was somewhat correct.  For instance the German aviator Hugo Junkers had to go to Prague to get the crankshafts made for his 6 cylinder opposed piston 2 stroke aero engines that powered his famous passenger transport aeroplanes in the 20’s and 30’s.  In the early 70’s the motorcycle company CZ had success with a V4 engine bike that looks remarkably similar to modern Moto GP machinery, Skoda produced top quality machine tools, the amazing success Skoda had in rallying with the Estelle, and then the lovely quality cars Laurin & Klement produced.

 

I’m considering getting a Skoda, it’s pleasing to know some of its long history.

My Uncles Estelle and Rapid in the 70's and going to the coast in them most weekends.

 

Lee

First impression? A 2-bob, ugly, lack-lustre joke of a car. 'orrible.

The 1 I was unlucky enough to be a passenger in was worse than a pals Wartburg. And that took some beating.

 

Was usually Ford or Vauxhall.. I had a brief sojourn into BMW and Lancia, both of which were very nice. Always came back to the blue oval or griffin though.

 

Come a long ol' way ain't they, looking forward to getting a Mk1 Octavia later this year 

Are we talking the 1970s rear-engine cars (S100 etc), the Estelle, I kind of ignored the Favorit/Felicia, or post VW FEFWD cars?

Are we talking the 1970s rear-engine cars (S100 etc), the Estelle, I kind of ignored the Favorit/Felicia, or post VW FEFWD cars?

 

 

After the Estelle and Rapid we also had the Favorit and Felicia. The Felicia was a decent motor but the Favorit was a bit cheap and nasty.

 

Lee

I remember rear- engined cars, much like a Renault, Simca, or NSU of the time - very cheap, but derided due to the public perception of poor quality.

 

I'm sure I considered them superior to Moskvitch and Wartburg (Lada had not yet launched in the UK).

 

Now they are not cheap and there is a public perception of good quality - which may no longer be deserved if the contributors on the Rapid or Octy 3 threads are to be believed.

Edited 3 March, 201610 yr by camelspyyder

I always thought the Rapid in the 70's looked nice Lee, and especially the soft top, give away price second hand, engine in the back, what were they like to drive?

Wartburg... 3 pot 2 stroke, were they really as bad as that Evil? Saab had the 96, something similar and it was supposed to be quite good, I never did get chance to ride in a comi-com or even a swedish car.

KenONeill said " Are we talking the 1970s rear-engine cars (S100 etc), the Estelle" yep thems the ones Ken, they sum up my first impressions of the marque.

Somehow NSU always seemed to mean innovative advanced engineering to me camelspyyder, that ****el engine car they made (that failed) gives me the impression, also some high quality mopeds and scooters from the 50's and 60's and success in motorcycle racing. As for the Moskvitch! I seen the horror story experienced first hand by a buddy and it wasn't a pretty.

Wartburg... 3 pot 2 stroke, were they really as bad as that Evil?.

Probably not is the answer but I'm going back to when I would have been maybe 12 or 13..

To me, at that time, my pals Wartburg was kinda funky and not the Skoda.

He put Dukes of Hazzard air horns on it and messed with the pipes... sounded like an ice cream van.

I always thought the Rapid in the 70's looked nice Lee, and especially the soft top, give away price second hand, engine in the back, what were they like to drive?

 

 

Handling wasn't bad, the amount of understeer depended on if the luggage compartment was empty or full. Not really enough power for any oversteer fun even though they were rear engined and rwd. They were quite noisy but we are talking 70's technology.

 

My uncle bought our Rapid new from Rainworth Motors when it was a little back street garage, bright orange, black vinyl roof, quad headlamps.

 

Lee

Edited 3 March, 201610 yr by logiclee

Bright orange yes that's it exactly, I wonder why?

Growing up I was kinda vaguely aware of Skoda, mainly from Top Gear magazine, and the occasional slot on Top Gear TV.

 

Once I had a bit of work experience, and I was in a position to consider nicer cars, I started looking at second-hand Audi A4s. But the Leeds Audi dealer treated me like crap, and by this time I'd read some very positive writeups of the Mk1 Octavia and the vRS. So I walked down the road to Skoda and they treated me like a long-lost mate rather than something stuck under their shoe. The rest is history!

My dad had one when I was little, he got rid in 1989 when I was 4, yet I still have vivid memories of it.

 

I remember breaking down on the way to my grandparents place, loaded up to the gunnels with our 2 cats and our rabbit. 

 

I also remember crying when it drove away for the last time.

 

Then in 1997 he got a Favorit GLXiE Flairline in that metallic green, great car, which led me to having 3 in succession when I passed my test.   I loved my Felicia 1.6 (felt like a rocket ship compared to the Favorits), and I had a Fabia vRS not long after they came out - it was quite novel at the time, especially for a 19 year old. Then I found this place and the rest is history.

Edited 3 March, 201610 yr by Tom_vRS

Well, my impression of the rear-engine cars was "good rally cars let down a bit by interior detail as road cars"; Favorit/Felicia I didn't particularly get; Octavia I got one of as a hire car for work, and was impressed enough that I bought one.

My earliest Skoda memory is my grandfather's mate having one in the mid / late '70s - I must admit my impressions weren't favourable until I saw a Black Magic Fabia MKI vRS - ended up selling my Lupo GTi and getting a MKI Fabia vRS - which I regretted at the time as the MKI wasn't the car for me (that and it's seive-like qualities - good car but simply not for me - my own fault partly down to lack of research and partly due to naively thinking I'd get one that didn't leak...) but on the plus side it led me onto the MKII .

Edited 4 March, 201610 yr by Brian69

What formed your first impression of Skoda?

 

Simple answer for me : Jasper Carrot.

Haa Haa Didscharlie, Jasper Carrot   clever creative funny guy, and iconic of the times when Skoda was rubbished and people still rode around on mopeds, where have all the years gone?

When I was around 7 or 8 (early 80s) one of my school friend's dad picked us up from swimming in an Estelle or similar which he had just bought new(first new car I think the previous car was an old viva or something) I can just remember being confused when he put the swimming gear in the engine bay(or so I thought).....

First I drove a skoda was the fabia which was a company car years ago

Very solid and well built

Next was the rrvs which are scouts

Quick handles well

Thought I would buy one

When I was four family transport was an old VW Beetle, I was at a garage in Forfar with my Grandparents and being shown the engine in the back of a brick-red coloured car (similar to our VW) but when I was shown the boot - I was amazed to see how the bonnet opened - it hinged to the side, it must've been a Skoda.

 

When I was a little older, seven, my Dad went through the first of his cancer operations and treatment, his friend had a yellow coloured Estelle (twin round front headlamps) and he would take my Mum and myself to see him in hospital most days.

 

A little older still, probably early teens, and we were at Bruar Falls as a family. Two gorgeous black-coloured rear-engined coupes arrived in the car park, slightly unusual engine sound - registrations sequentially one digit different - each driven by twin older men, I checked out the badges on the rear - Skoda Rapid.

 

Shorly after that in Forfar I saw a fantastic orange coloured Skoda Rapid. Then I discovered rallying. While my friends were into supporting teams like Ford, Opel, Audi and Subaru - you guessed it - I supported these amazing solid rear-engined Skoda 130LR rally cars - then I was hooked.

 

An older relative then bought a Skoda Rapid, when I passed my driving test I was allowed to use it regularly. Then I saved and bought my own second hand Rapid. I have many happy memories of it and it saw me through my college days - I know I was lucky to have a car. Many friends laughed at me, but my reliable little Rapid often ended up giving them a lift to college or taking them to pick-up spares for their cars, they would sometimes comment on how solid it felt - I was so proud, I always fell for the 'under-dog'.

 

I bought a second hand Favorit after that, Skoda still enjoying success in rallying with these cars. A few things went wrong with the Favorit, I still liked it but eventually traded-it in for a Swedish-built car. I spent too long driving those Swedish cars really.

 

A few years ago I inherited a rather beat-up Skoda Octavia Laurin & Klement estate. I was pleased to be back with Skoda although I thought it would be a short love-affair, she was a high-mileage car with quite a few battle scars. It has proven to be the most reliable car I have ever owned. It has taken me all over Europe for pleasure and for work. It has required very little work outside of normal servicing.

 

It is solid - just like those Skoda rally cars :-)

Edited 8 March, 201610 yr by Zlin

Zlin - really nice post - enjoyed reading that.

Toni Gardemeister.