(Peugeot 404) Spotted in a supermarket car park in downtown Tunis, it looked like it had drive across the Sahara just to get there.
It’s a Peugeot 404 Station Wagon, a 1.9 diesel (I tested the spillage from the fuel filler).
Apparently, it’s very difficult to date Peugeots in North Africa because they could be original French cars or African built cars. If this is a French built car, the bumper and grille mean it’s from the late 60s but if it’s an African car, it could be from as late as 1980 with the same bumper, though the grille would be different. The mirrors, if original, mean it’s an African car but it’s common to swap them onto older French cars because they’re better than the original items.
I met a couple of Ukranian car dealers who seemed to know how to tell the difference. Nice guys, obviously crooked though.

(Peugeot 104) Spotted in the quaint chop shop district of north Tunis.
A friend of mine at high school had one of these, I’m sure it was the same colour, though in much better condition than this example.
The chickens were sheltering under it, though not in it, when I saw it.
I was amazed that so much of the car was in such bad shape but, overall, it wasn’t bad and has a definite charm about it.

(Peugeot 504amino) Spotted in the chop-shop district of north Tunis, Tunisia.
It’s a Peugeot 504 pickup, a real workhorse. The guy working on it assured me that it was running the original diesel engine and transmission, though I saw it had a five speed ‘box which wasn’t available until the late 70s in the saloons and much later in commercials. He didn’t know the year it was built as it wasn’t his pickup but he has done work on it for over ten years and he showed me some of the modifications he’s made, like enlarging the pedals to accommodate work boots and making the pickup bed stronger.
I tried to buy one of these years ago and discovered that they were homologated for Group B rallying before it was abolished. They are still available, brand new, in Nigeria.

(Renault 21) Spotted in a residential area of Tunis adjacent to the motorway from the airport.
I saw it from the motorway and spent about an hour trying to get back to it. The owner was present but wary of me, though he was fine with me taking photos. He told me it had been in his family since new but that he didn’t like it much.
I’ve never seen a 12 in three door estate form before this, though I have seen three door vans and normal estate cars. This looks like a van with retro-fitted windows, probably at the same as the bad re-spray. The saloon and estate were common in the UK while I was growing up, I remember them usually being brown.
The interior was ultra basic, not really a pleasant place to be and the exterior looks like a deliberate attempt to make an ugly car.
I hate it but I somehow couldn’t drive past it without getting photos.

(Skoda) Spotted in various places around Tunis. It may look like it crashed half onto the paved area in front of the shops but I watched the owner park it carefully there before walking off.
It’s an early 70s Skoda, probably a 110. It’s the epitome of rear engined, rear drive, Czechoslovakian engineering from the 60s and 70s. This predates the awful reputation Skoda had in Europe before VW took them over in 1991. These cars had good rally success and Skoda continued that success into the 80s with the Estelle and Rapid, they won their class in the RAC rally for 17 years running.
This example is not rally champion material. I had to follow it at about 15 miles an hour for ages until it stopped and I got the photos. Pulling away from traffic lights, it was so slow that I thought about pushing gently from behind with my rented Renault to get it moving.

They made some wonderful cars in Czechoslovakia back in the day, but that darned ol' Iron Curtain kept all but a tiny handful of them from making their way to North America. Still, Skoda took an ill-advised shot at importing Felicias back in the early 60s, which means that you might be able to find an affordable one over here. As a matter of fact, you can get this convertible (go here if the ad disappears) for 500 bucks or best offer. How can you resist? The seller sums up the car quite aptly with this no-punctuation-needed statement: "basket case little rust mostly there what you see is what you get." See, it's mostly there! Just make a few calls to Prague and you'll have the missing stuff faster than a man can turn into a giant cockroach! And don't worry about the running condition of the Skoda engine, because it's already been proven that you can put an Audi V8 in the back! Yeah, there's rust... but how bad can it be?

You see quite a few garden-variety WW2 Jeeps just driving around these days, but what if you want one of the super-rare Ford GTB 1-1/2-ton trucks, popularly known as the Burma Jeep? Normally you'd have to pay boo-koo bucks for such a veteran, but we've got a line on this genuine Burma Jeep (go here if the ad disappears) for only $500. We'll readily admit that this truck has something of an oxidation problem, but we know you'll be as relentless as George S. Patton himself when it comes time to replace and/or fabricate the components that are too far gone to fix. Hey, there must be something on this vehicle that won't disintegrate into a cloud of red dust when you stare hard at it! The seller doesn't offer any description (other than "RARE!"), but it looks like an engine is visible behind the grille and you even get the axles. No sweat!

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FIVE euro-ncap STARS FOR THE NEW Superb

The new Škoda Superb has received five stars in independent crash tests performed by Euro-NCAP. One of the factors to have contributed to the highest possible rating is a knee airbag. Commenting on the new Škoda Superb, Euro-NCAP points out that the protection of the occupants' knees and thighs is excellent.

The Superb has achieved the highest possible scores also in side impact and pole impact simulations, receiving 35 points for the protection of adults and 40 points for the protection of children. The quality of pedestrian protection is very high, too.

"The new Superb has been developed to provide the occupants with maximum possible safety. The Euro-NCAP results confirm that we have managed to produce a top-quality vehicle in terms of performance, user comfort, as well as safety, one of the key aspects from the customer's perspective, and I am indeed very pleased about that", said Dr. Eckhard Scholz, Škoda Auto Board Member responsible for Technical Development.

Standard equipment for the new Superb includes seven airbags and other top-level safety elements, such as a new-generation chassis that is more rigid than that of the vehicle's predecessor and front seats optimised to protect the occupants from cervical spine injuries. Optional equipment includes two additional airbags, an adaptive front lighting system, and more. The new Superb will go on sale in the UK in September.

In addition to the diesel-sipping engine, the Superb also gets some tweaks to the nose to create a better airflow around the car and a suspension adjustment that lowers the car by about 15 mm. We're not sure what kind of improvements come from the addition of the models, but if it's necessary for the environment we're on board. [Skoda via CarScoop]

As far as we can tell, this feature is fairly unique as far as an application in a sedan (some SUVs have a similar system). This is the kind of thing we'd like to see on more non-Czech cars. [Source: Skoda]

Believe it or not ladies and gentlemen, they've even left the original 45hp engine in the rear to silently and swiftly power you to you next high-stakes livestock auction. Observe if you dare the invisible seams where skilled welders applied their trade. The deeply luxurious paint and stately flags really put a cherry on top, don't you think? We are truly jealous.

The second-generation VW Touareg, upcoming Tiguan and possibly the Passat Coupe are the VW variants that will get the RNS 510 30 gigabyte media and navigation system. [Crave]

Skoda Superb

Škoda Auto is presenting the first official photographs of the new Superb. Offering really generous space, the new Škoda Superb is a leader in its class (medium/upper medium class cars).

With 4,838 mm in length, 1,783 mm in width, 1,461 mm in height and a 2,761mm-long wheel base, the new Škoda Superb offers a number of smart technological solutions, including adaptive "look-round-corner" headlamps, a new electronic air conditioning system, an automatic parking assistant system, and more. As safety was one of the top priorities in developing the new vehicle, the new Superb has altogether nine airbags.

The new Škoda Superb will be available with three petrol and three diesel engines (77 - 191 kW) and with both manual and automatic transmission systems.

The new Škoda Superb will receive a world premiere at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show and will be manufactured in Škoda Auto's plant in Kvasiny. [Source: Skoda via World Car Fans]

When I went car-hunting in my neighborhood yesterday, my attention was grabbed by something familiar looking in the shade of a tree. At first glance I thought it was an old Skoda Octavia, but when I came to have a closer look, it turned out to be something even older and a bit rarer.
Skoda 440, also known as Spartak - the name couldn't be used because of possible confusion with similar named Dutch motorcycles Sparta - was made between 1954 and 1959 and during that time it was basically the only automobile that average Czechoslovakian could buy.
It was powered with mighty, 40 horsepower and 1089cc four-banger driving of course rear wheels, it seated four people in a little bit crammed interior and it's most comfortable equipment was probably a heater. But in its time and class, it was a pretty good vehicle, one of the last competitive cars from Czechoslovakia. For a brief moment, Skoda tried to sell these cars even in the States, but even though the reviews were positive (like one in 1957 Motor Trend), this venture wasn't very succesful and lasted for just a short time.
To me, the Spartaks and Octavias will alwas have great sentimental value, because my first car happened to be a 1959 Skoda Octavia. It was very first year for Octavias and the underpinnings were still pretty much identical with Spartak, including one transversely mounted leadspring in the rear (later Octavias had conventional twin longitudally mounted ones), so main difference between this Spartak and my former Octavia is front fascia and the dash. The coolest thing about the car was that the old man, who sold it to me for 1500CZK (about $50 at the time) was the first owner. In 2001, which means 42 years in a row.
I don't think I'll ever own another car owned by a single person for such a long time, and I was so foolish I sold it after some two or three months. I got more than three times more than what I paid for it, but it was still a very bad deal. And I'll never forget one day, when I've done my first powerslide ever in it, on a wet cobblestones, at the old town square in my hometown. I went some 20mph, maybe less, but that thing had so little grip that it was possible to drift it even with that weak powerplant. I think that this car really cemented my love to the RWD cars...

Oh yes... and BobAsh doesn't just drive Czech iron. He's a Mopar Man now! In his words: By the way, this is what will fry me for many upcoming months. '68 Dodge Coronet 440 with 318 engine. Ugly on the outside, but solid and great to start the "Project Hippie Hot Rod" ('68 Super Bee clone with Mod Top and 5.7 Hemi, if everything goes well).

Holy crap! A Super Bee clone in the Czech Republic! As we keep saying, Jalopnik readers go far, far beyond just talking the talk. Keep up the good work, BobAsh!

You just know any nation that considers Frank Zappa the greatest American who ever lived is going to produce some seriously cool cars, and the Czechs don't disappoint with the Tatra 603. Face it, no car freak worth his or her salt can resist a machine with a rear-mounted, air-cooled, hemi-head V8. And for just 60,000 CZK (about $3000), you could have this '71! Since these cars were available only to Commie officials, the bureacracy figured they'd just issue new ones every few years; hence, no rust-proofing! But you're in luck here- maybe- because this Tatra's seller claims the body is in good shape. The brakes, not so good, but don't worry- brake parts should be easy to find (well, actually, Bobash says they're made from pure Unobtanium even in the Czech Republic). But it runs! It drives! It comes with spare doors and an extra brake booster!

For those who want to go Czech with their rides but feel the legacy of oppressive Iron Curtain secret-police bureaucrats is just too much taint on the Tatra, how about a nice '57 Skoda 1201? It's priced to move at a mere 35,000 CZK ($1750), leaving you enough money left over to get staggeringly drunk on quality Czech beer... which you'll probably feel like doing once you realize that even the most insignificant components are going to require fabrication from scratch back in the USA. But banish such thoughts! The seller doesn't waste our time with excessive description; all we get is "I sell a 1957 Skoda 1201, with title." There's probably rust. It probably doesn't run. But so what? With its mighty 45-horse 1221cc engine, this was not only the car of choice for Czechoslovakian traffic cops but the biggest car the common man could buy back in the day. Imagine this thing slammed down low, with big fat tires and a Tatra V8! Stastnou Cestu!

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The best part is the fact that they went for accuracy to the point of pouring syrup into the engine to simulate oil. An edible engine with edible motor oil! By God, that's genius! Anyway, the ad can be seen above and a "making of" article may be viewed via the link below. Enjoy.

How to bake a car: the amazing story behind Skoda's new TV ad [Daily Mail]

Related:
Hoon of the Day: Skoda Jump [internal]

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

What Octavia will bring to mid-size sedan market [China Economic Net]

Related:
Skoda Arrives in China [Internal]

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.]

Skoda Capri 205 woody-not the good kind [Hemmings]

Related:
What Wood He Do for A Twin-Cad-Motored Car? [internal]

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

Related:
Skoda Arrives in China! [Internal]

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

Skoda Fabia rallymonster [Autovisie]

Related:
Drink Beer in Moldova! Drive a Fabia! [internal]

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

Related:
El Skodamino! The Felicia Fun! [internal]

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

Related:
Chiang Kai-Czech? Skoda to Sell Cars in Taiwan [Internal]

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

Related:
Shanghai Auto Show: Audi Cross Coup Concept Reveal [Internal]

We're just not quite what to say. For some reason, this is funny because it's Eastern European. If the same spot ran here in English we sould be annoyed. But learning Moldo-Romanian words for things is fun! Gianta Frigider! You can win one of those, too! Put in the back of your Fabia! – Davey G. Johnson

Related:
Incomprehensible Ad Watch: Renault Rapidit Rapidit Rapidit Rapidit ! [Internal]

"Skoda Auto, once the butt of auto industry jokes for its reputation for producing low-quality cars during the Communist era, now has Volkswagen laughing all the way to the bank."

"Skoda: From Butt To Bank"

Skoda Auto has record 2006 sales, production [Reuters via Automotive News]

Related:
The Production of Laughter and Forgetting: Record Skoda Numbers! [internal]

Our Dutch pal Jason Garber caned a Lincoln Navigator within mere millimeters of its life on last summer's Bullrun, prompting the best exchange on the rally between a participant and a civilian: "Where'd you learn to drive?"
"Europe."
And he now has sent us this video, which makes us sad for the poor Octivia, yet marvel at the sheer inpetitude of its pilot. Where'd she learn to drive? Oh, right. Europe! – Davey G. Johnson

Related:
From Now On We Shall Only Say 'Crash Helmet'

In 2006, Skoda's Czech plants turned out a record 556,443 cars, a 12.5% jump over last year. Somewhere in Paris, Milan Kundera is dreaming up a story of two forlorn, lovelorn Beethoven-consumed factory workers who respectively install valvestems on Fabias and steering-column stalks on Octavias, obsessing over Stalin and feminine scents while dreaming of a Black Sea road-trip vacation in a Felicia Fun with only a pirated cassingle of the Shins' "Phantom Limb" stuck in the tape deck and a Vaclav Havel anthology to keep them company. We shit you not. – Davey G. Johnson

Skoda Auto turns out record 556,443 cars at Czech plants in 2006 [Prague Daily Mirror]

Related:
Skoda Felicia Fun Spotted Alongside Porta-Loo in Budapest [Internal]

The Felicia Fun is certainly on record as one of the most Jalopnik vehicles ever created by a major manufacturer. Caminofied goodness? Check. Eastern European heritage? In spades, friends, in spades. And there's nothing un-fun about it. It doesn't matter if it's as slow as a house. It doesn't matter if we'd have to push it around ourselves. We'd just duct tape a ghetto blaster to the rear wing and get our daily workout by pushing it up hills while listening to Whodini's Escape on cassette. Reader Peter sent us this photo — with love — from Budapest. We obviously have the best patrons on the planet. – Davey G. Johnson

Related:
El Skodamino! The Felicia Fun! [Internal]

Over at the road that meanders rather than takes the shortest distance between two points, Paukert muses on his Czech-infused childhood. Everyone's favorite IT-guy-lookalike autoblogger was spurred into some measure of psychodramatic trauma by this either agency-created-or-fanfic video involving weird puppets and Skodas. Jesus, and we thought leprechauns were creepy. Sorry Chris. Feel better soon, man. We're all pulling for you.

Czech It: Nostalgic Skoda Puppetry [Winding Road]

The VW division born behind the Iron Curtain is planning to unveil a new hatch concept at the Paris show. While the Joyster may look like a koda-fied adaptation of the Volkswagen Iroc concept, it's actually a prelude to the 2007 Fabia — a hatch whose new hotness is hotly anticipated in the UK. The prototype shows the new model in three-door form, and is fitted with "a wide range of communication technologies and comfort equipment." Right, that definitely means an iPod slot.

Related:
More on Skoda; The Wind Cries Scirocco: More on VW's Iroc Concept [internal]

We love it when "Fun" becomes a brand. For example, the people of Ft. Collins, CO refer to their city as "Ft. Fun." So when one takes "Fun," adds it to a Skoda, and what's more, applies the appelation to a Felicia with the ass-end converted to pickup duty, one's really hit some sort of special Eastern European/dork-pride/Camino trifecta that could possibly, when combined with a few candied yams and a splash of lukewarm San Pellegrino, form the basis for a sustainable cold fusion reaction. Basically, what we're saying is that this truckcar could possibly save the world. Thank you, Skoda. Thank you. [And thank you, Stephan, for the tip.]

1999 Felicia Fun [NetCarShow]

Related:
More El Caminos [Internal]

Damn, sometimes we love ugly cars as much or more than attractive ones — and it looks like we're not alone. A press missive released today indicates a new microsite promoting the Skoda Roomster — the VW brand's awkwardly named, awkwardly envisaged wagon-ute — has seen 46,260 users since it went online this week. Hardly a Google top tenner, but then again Skoda isn't exactly known as the choice of early online adopters. Abandoned mutt adopters, more like.

Related:
More on Skoda [internal]

You know, somebody at some other automotive site totally ripped off our Maximum Skoda Day theme, and seeing that we mentioned the Roomster earlier, decided to post on it. But screw that stealin'-Jalopnik's-gifts-from-Thor crap. Screw it with the shards of a shattered Drive Like Jehu record. Because, well, shame on us, but the fact that the production version of the Roomster's debut happens at Geneva just kinda slipped by us. But it'll be there. And it'll be Maximum Skodage all over again. Yes!

Skoda Roomster 2006 [TopSpeed]

Related:
Skoda in the Black!

Okay, so these recurring dreams where we talk like Jeremy Clarkson still aren't abating, and we just noticed our brow furrowing as we type, much in the manner we imagine James May's would if Captain Slow had the same problem. And we just typed an IM message to Ray which in our head sounded like Richard Hammond. Yes, we're slowly going Wesley Willis on your asses, via Top Gear. We swear, we haven't been so damaged by a television show since V. Oh, and click the link if you wanna read Clarkson's take on a Skoda Octavia wagon. Maximum Skoda Day, continued via linkage!

Skoda Octavia FSI 4x4 estate [Times, UK]

Related:
Fell in Love with a Girl: Philly-Area Man Gets Hot for Skoda s Felicia [Internal]

Prague there, for a while, was a hotspot for post-jaded American and Western European angelheaded hipster youth of a certain age. Twentysomethings wandering the streets, sipping their Urquell, listening to the Velvet Underground, fucking cheap prostitutes, clutching well-thumbed copies of The Unbearable Lightness of Being and falling in love thrice weekly. But Jim Donley? He was a businessman. And he fell in love with Felicia, an unassuming little convertible. Because really, who would risk herpes and/or worse when one could have a Skoda droptop and a shot at fleeting immortality on Jalopnik's flash-in-the-pan Maximum Skoda Day? Exactly.

1960 Skoda: An American in Europe falls for Felicia [PhillyBurbs]

Related:
But Was She in a Skoda? [Internal]

And the Maximum Skoda Day madness rolls on with reports outta Taiwan that GM Daewoo partner Formosa Automobile will shortly be bailing on its deal with the world's largest automaker and its Korean subsidiary and strike up a match with none other than Skoda. Formosa plans to build and sell around rebadged 1.4L Fabias under its own brand, beginning next year. Meanwhile, they're already shifting the Skoda units, projecting 3,500 in sales this year. That may not sound like much, but when they're building 250 DAF trucks and commanding a 10% market share with that number, it really brings the geographic smallness of the island industrial titan home.

Formosa Automobile to Assemble Skoda Cars in Taiwan in 2007 [TMCnet]

Related:
Skoda in the Black! [Internal]

So let's have some good Skoda news first off, shall we? After all, it is Maximum Skoda Day so let's celebrate with mimosas and pilsner, shall we? Why the jubilatin'? Because the VW unit one of the four oldest automakers in the world doubled its profits in 2005, largely due to the sales of its higher-end models, notably the Octavia. However, they're declaring 2006 the Year of the Roomster. Wonder what the Chinese have to say about that?

Skoda profits jump as it sells more high-end cars [Reuters]

Related:
It's Maximum Skoda Day on Jalopnik! [Internal]