Jalopnik: Skoda

Hooning is just another day at work for Skoda rally car

Raphael Orlove — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 13:00:00 EST

When a rally team decided to pick up a project car, you know it's going to be good. Here is German rally team Kahle Motorsports and their Škoda 130LR fitted with everything from a full cage to a sequential gearbox, hooning their way through some deserted forest roads. More »

New Zealand’s national car is a DIY Škoda

Peter Orosz — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:30:00 EDT

This is the Trekka, the only car ever designed and manufactured in New Zealand. It looks like the facsimile of a Land Rover Series I, it had a 1.2-liter Škoda engine, and it was built in 1966 to give overtaxed Kiwis wheels. More »

A brief history of luxury motoring in Hungary, 1971–2011

Erik D'Amato — Tue, 24 May 2011 09:30:00 EDT

It’s been over 20 years that Eastern Europe threw off the shackles of communism. Plenty of time for a radical change in car culture. But what Budapest-based publisher and entrepreneur Erik D’Amato found out was that some things never change. –Ed. More »

Snake Venom, Cyborgs, Vultures: How Skoda Builds A Fabia VRS

Justin Hyde — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 09:00:00 EDT

Skoda, Volkswagen's crazy Czech arm, shot a famous ad in 2007 showing its Fabia full of goodness and light. For the 180-hp VRS edition, they brought in the snake handlers, vultures and lasers. Somewhere, Alice Cooper is taking copious notes. More »

This Is Not a Ferrari Testa Rossa

Peter Orosz — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 13:00:00 EDT

Instead, it’s a Czech racer of the same vintage: The 1958 Škoda 1100 OHC, a lightweight sports prototype raced in Eastern Europe. More »

The Skoda Octavia Combi is Not the Ferrari of Station Wagons

Ray Wert — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:40:00 EDT

Ferrari rented the Nurburgring for three days of testing as part of their F1 Clienti program, bringing four FXXs, ten F1 cars and 15 F99XXs. Also, as you see in the shot above, one Skoda Octavia Combi. More photos below. More »

Irish Bookies Issue Odds On Next Automaker Recall

Sam Smith — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST

Irish bookmaking firm Paddy Power (yes, that's its real name) recently announced that Toyota is the "odds-on 1/3 favorite" carmaker to issue the next major recall. We have no idea what this means, but it sounds important. More »

Skoda Superb Estate Quietly Unveiled For Euro Market

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:30:00 EST

Somehow our own Suberb-fetishist Mr. Hardigree missed the unveil of the wagon version of VW's most Czech of brands. The Skoda Superb Estate offers all the features of the sedan with the added cargo room of a wagon, surprise! More »

Skoda Yeti Adverts Mix Cars, Mixed Drinks

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT

Out friends at Animal New York summarize these ads for the Skoda Yeti as "Yeah, let's get drunk and go run over some polar bears and penguins!" True, but it's a Czech company. Do you think it's so awful? More »

"Experience The Fantastic Feeling of Driving a Race Car!"

Peter Orosz — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:00:00 EDT

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In Eastern Europe? Looking for the baddest homemade car to rule the streets? Look no further than this F1-inspired, Škoda-based monoposto which surely can't be beat. More »

Project Car Hell, Nightmare On A Budget Edition: Iked Lotus Elite or Haunted Skoda 1101?

Murilee Martin — Sun, 10 May 2009 17:00:00 EDT

Welcome to Project Car Hell, where you choose your eternity by selecting the project that's the coolest... and the most hellish! Want an oddball European project, but you're living in a hobo jungle? Problem solved! More »

Skoda Fabia Scout Concept: Party Like It's 1999!

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST

The Skoda Fabia Scout Concept will debut at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show in March, with a form factor Subaru and Volvo popularized in the late 90's — the rugged wagon. More »

German Man Fires His Skoda Octavia Into Church Roof

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:30:00 EST

A German man was likely filled with the spirit, or at least spirits, when he lost control of his Skoda Octavia at high speeds, launching his car onto the roof of a church. More »

Nice Price Or Crack Pipe: The $5000 Skoda Octavia Wagon?

Murilee Martin — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST

What's a reasonable price for a cool old car? Our readers are cold-eyed realists, or maybe you're all just plain cheapskates, and the last Nice Price vehicle was the 1979 Dodge Shag Van. More »

2009 Skoda Octavia Revealed Before Paris

Wes Siler — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:40:00 EDT

This is what passes for a small, budget sedan in Europe. The 2009 Skoda Octavia can be fitted with an optional 1.4 TSI or 1.8-liter turbo, both of which can be equipped with the same 7-speed DSG transmission as the 2009 Audi S3. There should also be a range of punchy, economical diesels. The Octavia looks like it’s based on a lengthened VW Jetta platform, sharing many of its interior features with the 2008 and prior Jetta and Golf. That’s a good thing, especially in a car that will be bigger, more practical and cheaper. We’ll have full details tomorrow or Friday as our Paris Motor Show coverage continues. More »

Welcome To Africa, Where Peugeots Never Die!

Murilee Martin — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:00:00 EDT

This is Down On The Street Bonus Edition, where we check out interesting street-parked cars located in places other than the Island That Rust Forgot. Remember that '73 Porsche 911 Carrera RS in England that Battles shot for us a while back? No longer content with the cars parked down on the West Oxfordshire street, he's gone to North Africa- Tunisia, to be exact- and found some great survivor Peugeots (and one each bonus Renault and Skoda) for our enjoyment. Make the jump for the rest of the Down On The Tunis Street series of photos and Battles' descriptions. More »

PCH, 500 Bucks Worth Of Rust Edition: Skoda Felicia or Burma Jeep?

Murilee Martin — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:20:00 EDT

We were shocked, shocked to learn that the Peugeot 404 Baja racer annihilated the Oval Window Baja Bug in last Friday's Choose Your Eternity poll. It's a new week, however, and we've got new challenges ahead. Let's head on up to Seattle, where the constant rain creates sort of a year-round meat-market singles bar for lonely iron atoms looking to hook up with promiscuous oxygen atoms... and nobody goes home alone! When you've got a vehicle that's been sitting outside in coastal Washington for decade after decade, you figure you ought to be able to get it for a very reasonable price- and you figured right! Zeet has earned a PCH Tipster T-shirt by finding us a couple of tantalizingly cool machines sitting in the sodden Pacific Northwest weeds, so let's drive right in to a colder, damper Project Car Hell! More »

2009 Skoda Superb Supremely Safe, Achieves Five Stars In Euro-NCAP Tests

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 28 May 2008 09:40:00 EDT

When we first saw the 2009 Skoda Superb we got weak in the knees. We asked the doctor to Czech us out and his Prague-nosis was that this Passat platform mate, with its twindoor system, was just too sexy. We know, it's a liftback sedan like all the others. But is it? Euro-NCAP, sort of the IIHS of Europe, tested the Superb and gave it five stars or 35 points for the protection of adults and 40 points for the protection of children. The big difference? Knee airbags. Brilliant. Press release below the jump. More »

Skoda Superb Estate In The Works? Is Someone Reading Our Diary?

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:45:00 EDT

If you know us, you know we love the 2009 Skoda Superb. For serious. It's the best looking thing they build on the the Passat platform. And now our friends at World Car Fans have some spy photos of what looks to be a Superb Estate and a rendering of what they expect it to look like. We're all in support of taking our favorite Czech VW and giving it an extra pillar but... what about the Twindoor? Whatever, give us a Superb Estate and we'll fill it with good Czech beer, leggy Charles University philo students and Vaclav Havel. Just because. More »

Skoda Superb GreenLine's Only Emission Is The Sex And CO2

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:20:00 EST

For those who haven't noticed, we're a little dragon for the 2009 Skoda Superb (i.e. the Czech Passat) and it's clever TwinDoor system. And a version that gets better mileage and is better for the environment, why not? This version of the Superb gets a 1.9-Liter inline-four turbodiesel good for about 105 horsepower and the US equivalent of 46.1MPG. More »

It's A Hatch, It's A Trunk, It's The Skoda Twindoor System

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EST

The 2009 Skoda Superb was already our favorite version of the VW Passat when the company released images of it earlier this year. Since then we've been waiting for pictures of the new Twindoor system, which promised the styling of a sedan with the usability of a hatchback. We were dubious until we saw the pictures. The Twindoor tailgate splits below the window, allowing normal trunk action or full-on hatchback accessibility. More »

The Finest Skoda Limo Czechoslovak Korunas Can Buy

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:15:00 EST

Forget Mutec and their Rolls-Royce Phantom, this Czech build Skoda 110 limousine may be the finest piece of old (oooold) world craftsmanship ever conceived. Completely decked out with all the modern amenities, including spray paint tinted windows, luxury bucket seats, ceiling mounted tube television, indoor/outdoor carpeting, a convenient smoking bar, a sunroof and all the cross bracing you'll ever need. More »

2009 Skoda Superb To Be Outfitted With VW Media System

Travis Hudson — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:45:00 EST

It only took Skoda, the Czech VW subsidiary, decades to emerge from the automotive Dark Ages and finally throw a tech bone or two into its sedans and the like. The latest news coming out of the land where they invented pilsner is that the Skoda Superb, which is primed and ready for an unveiling at the Geneva Auto Show, will also be outfitted with VW's hard-drive based navigation system, the RNS 510. More »

The Skoda Superb Is More Than Adequate

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 16:00:00 EST

The folks at Skoda, the Czech VW subsidiary, have always had a stellar time reworking and elongating the Passat platform to make an upper-mid-level platform for that Czech executive on the go. Now we've got photos of the next generation Skoda Superb and, hey, it's better than ordinary. In fact, propelled by VW's 1.8 TSI it's downright pretty good. It'll officially bow at the Geneva Auto Show, an event we hear is good even relative to things otherwise considered good. Press release below the jump. More »

Match Made in Heaven: Skoda Delivery Fun

bwojdyla — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 12:45:00 EST

You didn't think we could actually make it through any trip without bringing you local Camino action did you? Here's a bitchin' Skoda Felicia Fun doing its duty as a pizza delivery truck/car in Schesslitz. Way more dignified than the last Fun we brought you. Could there be a better match? Pizza delivery, Camino-ness, fuel economy, plenty of room for cases of bier in the back... it's perfect! There's something so right about that missing hubcap too. Ristorante bei Peppo Skoda-camino driver, today's real Bavarian hero. More »

Skoda Unveils 2009 Superb

Wes Siler — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 11:45:00 EST

Wow, we continue to be boggled by Skoda's meteoric move up market. The company released these teaser shots today of the 2009 Superb sedan. No details, except that it'll feature a "generously sized interior" and "a number of smart solutions." The rest will be unveiled at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show in March. Is it just us, or is their a hint of Renault Vel Satis as you look along the Superb's flanks?
More »

Engine Swap of the Day: Tatra and Audi V8s In Škoda Felicia

Murilee Martin — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 12:45:00 EST

I've been making inquiries of our Czech friend BobAsh about the possibility of obtaining a Tatra V8 and transaxle from his homeland, thinking it might be fun to do a Tatra-engined VW Squareback as my personal Hell Project. He suggested I check out what some Czech madman did with a late-50s Škoda Felicia: first, a DOHC Tatra 613 V8 in the rear (and this was originally a front-engined car)... but that just wasn't insane enough. Now it's packing an Audi 4.2 with what appears to be eight Mikuni carbs. The article is in Czech, but you get the idea. [FeliciaCentrum.cz] More »

Down On The Czech Street: Skoda Spartak!

Murilee Martin — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 14:15:00 EDT

Once again, our Czech tipster BobAsh has come through with the Skoda goods for us, this time in the form of a bunch of shots of a Skoda 440 (also known as the Spartak) from the mid-to-late 50s. Since BobAsh was kind enough to write a lot of description, thus sparing my lazy ass from having to, you know, do work, we'll hear the rest in his own words: More »

Project Car Hell, Czech Edition: Tatra or Skoda?

Murilee Martin — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:00:00 EDT

We've received some great tips for Project Car Hell, but tipster Bobash takes it to a whole new level with these finds. After watching the excellent Czech-hoonage Tatra promotional film, Happy Journeys, he found both a Tatra 603 and a cop-style Skoda 1201. Not only that, he did the translation, provided all the historical background, and even saved our lazy asses a bunch of work by providing a bunch of writing in Jalopnik-approved PCH style. Thanks, Bobash- you're first in line for one of the groo-oovy PCH tipster prizes we keep promising to provide! So hop on the first flight to Prague, ye of eternal vehicular torment, and get ready to wake up as a giant cockroach with a wrench in each of your six hands, because we're entering Kafka territory with these cars. More »

When A Maa-aan Loves A Skodaaaaaa!

Murilee Martin — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 16:45:00 EDT

Normally, when some car geek puts together a website about his beloved project car, the photos don't really do justice to the cars. Hey, it's hard to take good car photos (which is why we should all appreciate Señor Bumbeck's mad camera skilz), so it's nice when we spot a project-car site put together by someone who does a good job photographing his pride and joy. In this case, it's a crazy Dutchman and his 1960 Škoda Felicia.[flnet.nl] More »

Skoda Releases First Fabia Wagon Teaser

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 22:15:00 EDT

The Czechs manning the chuck wagon over at Skoda have ladled up the first teaser image of the new Skoda Fabia Estate. The hatchback dropped earlier this year at Geneva, but we'll have to wait until we're cooling our heels on the banks of the Main to catch the wagon. Oh heartless burg of Frankfurt, you taunt us so. [World Car Fans] More »

Skoda Shamed by Dacia

Davey G. Johnson — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 22:30:00 EDT

Poor, poor Octavia driver. The sap got his knedlíky handed to him by some savvy schnook in a broke-dick Dacia on the streets of Bucharest. A freaming Dacia! Somewhere in Deutschland, Ferdinand Piëch is gnashing his wooden teeth. More »

Have Your Skoda And Eat It Too!

Murilee Martin — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 11:00:10 EDT

So apparently everyone in Europe has seen this ad, like, 20 bjillion times by now, and now it's our turn to jump on the Skoda Cake bandwagon. Those crazy Czechs (actually, their ad-agency minions) went and made a Skoda Fabia out of cake and candy, complete with cake interior and engine, not to mention Jell-O taillights. But that's not the best part... More »

Octavia Goes to China

Davey G. Johnson — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:30:00 EDT

A few of the most tedious men in the auto industry are dropping the science behind the launch of the Skoda Octavia in the world's second largest auto industry. According to the Shanghai Volkswagen heads, the Chinese Octavia is more advanced than the European model. Plus, it's apparently available with the "Turbochanger Superchanger Injection" motor. Which — as far as we can make out is a breakdancing transformable robot that leaps out of the engine bay and pulls you to safety when the going gets seemingly impassable. Skoda for life! Skoda for victory! – Davey G. Johnson More »

What Wood He Do for a Set of Wheels? Skoda Rims Au Natural

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 07:43:54 EDT

So what if they're not perfectly round, hickory tires are the new must-have accessory for those with a woodsy bent. You can find them in the organic section of Sears Auto Center, next to the free-range oil filters. [Thanks to John for the tip.] More »

It's Just Pure Luxury: The Skoda Superb!

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 18 May 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Far be it from us to front on a young man thrilled enough with his folks' purchase of a Skoda Superb — the A6L-based econolux machine of nominal Czech extraction — that he would actually make a video about its 1.9L TDI brilliance and post it to YouTube. After all, it does share one salient feature in common with the Rolls-Royce Phantom dreamed up by VW competitor BMW: it's got self-draining door-mounted umbrella compartments. Take that, SEAT! – Davey G. Johnson More »

A Very Brisk Fabia: New Skoda Rally Car

Mike Spinelli — Wed, 16 May 2007 08:16:35 EDT

Though we can read neither Dutch nor Czech, we can still ascertain this new Skoda Fabia rally car's vitals by a combination of online translator, parsing of universal symbols and scratching our heads over the letter ž. It's a new rally monster, a joint project between Czech spark-plug company Brisk and the UK's Prodrive, dubbed RS 01 WRC. The 2,200-pound Fabia employs VW/Audi's corporate 2.0 TFSI engine, only tweaked up to 500 hp at 7,800 rpm and 443 lb-ft of torque at 3,700 rpm. Zero to 62 mph comes up in 2.7 seconds, which should make it quite a hit on the gravel. No word on potential rally-team clients, but we wouldn't mind seeing one of these buggers in traffic. Did someone say 500-hp Rabbit? – Mike Spinelli More »

Hoon of the Day: Skoda Jump

Murilee Martin — Wed, 02 May 2007 11:30:20 EDT

No, we haven't given up on the Hoon of the Day thing, just being a bit more selective about which hoons make the cut (speaking of which, congrats to the Swedish Escort Service for winning our first-ever Hoon of the Month award). Here are some Czecho-hoons who definitely make the cut. They've got a winning recipe: one beater Skoda 1203 van, one strategically located hump in the road, add Becherovka and mix well. 25 bonus points for jumping an Iron Curtain-era Skoda, another 15 points because it's a van, and an axle-snapping 500 bonus points for busting the rear suspension on the landing, yet still scraping the rear body through a nice post-jump Rockford. Hoon-O-Meter reading: 580 points. – Murilee Martin More »

Skoda Arrives in China!

Davey G. Johnson — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 11:30:00 EDT

It took a car company birthed by fascism to bring a formerly state-controlled automaker to a nation rife with state-controlled automakers. Yes, we're talking about Volkswagen, Skoda and China. The Shanghai Auto Show served as Skoda's introduction to the PRC market. Comrades, this Superb in Tour de France support vehicle livery stands as an illustration of the pure joy of commerce ber alles; transcending fascism, democracy and communism — a bridge of openness between nations. Skoda, you truly are the living automotive embodiment of glasnost. Thank God for Lou Reed. Bless the Exploding Plastic Inevitable. – Davey G. Johnson More »

Making Things With Light: The VW Gala in Shanghai

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 20:30:00 EDT

In our day, we have witnessed some interminable press events, but this one literally wandered so slowly off with the cake that we're not sure that the cake was there in the first place or if the thieves may actually have left it behind. The shebang started off in a promising manner, oddly enough; the Pudong Expo building a stunning, gleaming cube featuring a lobby stuffed with art. We were then treated to a short fashion show. All well and good. Suddenly, the mind-numbing madness came. A television personality named Cathy hosted a panel featuring a group of execs who, barring Audi/FAW's Werner Eichhorn, literally dullarded us out of the room. As one attendee noted, VW China Kopfk se Winfried Vahland is one of those boring people who has no idea how boring he actually is. They were joined onstage by Mo Huilan, silver medalist in the '96 Olympics on the womens' vault. The banter was bilingual and pedantic. Out of desperation and disinterest we decided to fool around with long exposures on our camera. A galleria of streaky ennui is below for your enjoyment. Share our pain, won't you? – Davey G. Johnson More »