Driver of the First Republic

ŠKODA Mobil supplement, September 2018.

• Page 1

  1

  1918

  —

  193 8

  ŠKODA MOBIL

  SUPPLEMENT

• Page 2

  Dear readers

  On 28 October 1918, upon the establishment of an independent

  Czechoslovakia, many generations of Czechs and Slovaks

  finally saw their dream for independence come true. However,

  the euphoria of gaining long-sought freedom soon gave

  way to daily concerns. The citizens of the young democratic

  republic had to build their state in many respects and defend

  their independence. Employees at the Mladá Boleslav‒based

  carmaker had a similar task before them. Laurin & Klement,

  the pre-war leader of the automobile market in the Austro-

  Hungarian Empire, was nearly brought to its knees 100 years

  ago due to the difficult economic situation and a devastating

  fire. The entry of a strong economic partner, the clear vision of

  the management at the time, the innovation of its designers,

  the openness of employees to new approaches and a careful

  observation of the market all helped the factory to rise from

  the bottom and elevate it to the No.1 spot in Czechoslovakia’s

  automobile industry. The breathtaking First Republic story

  of the carmaker reminds us that companies are successful

  over the long term only if their employees come up with great

  ideas and bring their customers products that not only satisfy

  their needs but also surprise them with unexpected benefits.

  To this day, the ŠKODA brand has maintained its leading

  position on the Czechoslovak (and later Czech) automobile

  market and has continued to grow in foreign markets, too. To

  a great extent, this success can be attributed to the fact that

  the company knows how to come to terms with its past. Since

  the era of the First Republic, the carmaker has managed to

  satisfy its customers’ demands in a wide variety of areas. For

  more than a century, ŠKODA AUTO has offered both personal

  vehicles for private owners and corporate variants. For 100

  years already, its management has rewarded employees for

  their useful suggestions for improvement. Since the 1930s,

  ŠKODA vehicles have scored big in the most prestigious

  motoring competitions. The history of ŠKODA AUTO remains

  inspirational in many respects even today.

  We wish you an enjoyable read.

  DRIVER

  OF THE FIRST

  REPUBLIC

  ŠKODA MOBIL

  EMPLOYEE SUPPLEMENT

  EDITORINCHIEF

  Tomáš Novotný

  CONTENT CONTRIBUTIONS BY

  Simona Havlíková, Veronika Halešová,

  Jindřich Novák, Kateřina Šulcová,

  Jaroslava Matoušková, archiv

  ŠKODA AUTO

  PHOTOGRAPHS

  ČTK, Profimedia, archiv Jana Tučka,

  Společnost bratří Čapků a archiv

  ŠKODA AUTO

  GRAPHIC DESIGN AND PRODUCTION

  Boomerang Communication

  PUBLISHED

  27 September 2018

• Page 3

  4

  THE YOUNG REPUBLIC

  BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL

  10

  RETURN TO THE LIMELIGHT

  14

  KEY MODELS

  16

  HEARTFELT DEVOTEES AND

  AMBASSADORS

  18

  ADVENTURERS

  AND ENTHUSIASTS

  22

  HELPERS IN SERVICES

  24

  DECORATIONS FOR BOLESLAV

  27

  LABOUR UNDER THE

  CARMAKER’S WINGS

• Page 4

  4

  ECONOMIC MANAGEMENT FATIGUED

  BY WORLD CONFLICT, RUPTURED

  BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY

  TIES, A LACK OF BASIC FOOD AND

  SOCIAL UNREST. THESE WEEKLY

  WORRIES GAVE WAY TO EUPHORIA

  FROM THE NEWLY ACQUIRED

  FREEDOMS IN A DEMOCRATIC

  CZECHOSLOVAKIA. EVEN PRIOR TO

  THE WAR, THE SITUATION HAD NOT

  BEEN ROSY FOR THE DEVELOPING

  AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY. THE STATE

  STRICTLY REGULATED THE SALE

  OF FUEL AND LUBRICANTS AND

  BURDENED VEHICLE OWNERS

  WITH UNREASONABLY HIGH

  COSTS. AS A RESULT, HAVING A

  CAR BECAME AN UNOBTAINABLE

  LUXURY FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC,

  AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF ROAD

  INFRASTRUCTURE STAGNATED.

  IT IS NO WONDER THAT BY THE

  MIDDLE OF 1921 THERE WAS ONLY

  ONE AUTOMOBILE FOR EVERY 3,138

  INHABITANTS IN THE COUNTRY.

  NONETHELESS, THE VERY ADVANCED

  REPUBLIC RANKED 51ST IN THE

  WORLD IN TERMS OF INDUSTRY.

  M

  otoring had one particu-

  larly influential supporter

  and fan. When President

  Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk

  visited Mladá Boleslav in

  1919, he encouraged the carmak-

  er’s management to focus on de-

  veloping and producing a vehicle

  for the people. Following his long

  stay in the United States, he re-

  alised how positive an impact on

  American society the reduction in

  car prices had had, and in this re-

  spect the implementation of as-

  sembly lines played a major role.

  Suddenly, even a working-class

  family could aord a Sunday trip

  by car. Masaryk knew how positive-

  ly the increased mobility of the la-

  bour force on the other side of the

  ocean had aected employment.

  In the 1920s, the renewal of eco-

  nomic life brought about econom-

  ic and technical breakthroughs in

  Europe, including in Czechoslova-

  kia. Electrical appliances became

  a regular part of households, and

  people began using phones, record

  players and radios. Their attention

  was again focused on automobiles

  as well. However, because of low

  series production, high costs hin-

  dered the widespread expansion

  of vehicle ownership.

  SILVER LINING

  FOR BETTER TIMES

• Page 5

  5

  SERVICE, CAR WASH

  AND 6 KILOMETRES

  PER HOUR

  2.85–5.15

  CZK/hour

  Bread

  CZK 5.84/kg

  Beef loin

  CZK

  15.95/kg

  Butter

  CZK

  48.81/kg

  L&K type MK 13/40 HP

  in basic design

  CZK

  190,000

  L&K type SO 9/25 HP

  in basic design

  CZK 135,000

  HOW

  LIFE WAS

  D

  espite all the obstacles, car pro-

  duction and services for mo-

  torists were gradually develop-

  ing. Just under two years aer

  the war, a motor show was held

  in Prague under the auspices of Pres-

  ident Masaryk. At approximately the

  same time, the activity of the modern

  Elka (the colloquial name of L&K) ser-

  vice centre began at Prague’s Valdšte-

  jn Riding Hall. Previously, customers

  had been required to go to the produc-

  tion plant for more extensive repairs.

  In 1928, eight-storey garages were put

  up in Maniny in Prague, which could

  fit 120 vehicles, and drivers also had a

  car wash available. While waiting, they

  glossed through motor magazines and

  bulletins; at the time, 23 were pub-

  lished regularly in Czechoslovakia.

  Throughout the republic, drivers had

  500 fuel stations available to them,

  and two years later there were already

  3,000. However, they did not enjoy fast

  rides much. In 1927 in some munici-

  palities, drivers could travel only at a

  maximum speed of 6 km/h, because

  this was as fast as horses could trot.

  Only in 1935 was the speed limit in

  -

  creased to 35 km/h.

  WAGES OF

  WORKERS

  AT L&K

  PRICES

  OF FOOD

  PRICES

  OF L&K

  VEHICLES

  1921

• Page 6

  6

  D

  uring the era of the First

  Republic, customers could

  choose from a large num-

  ber of vehicle bodies,

  which were installed on

  purchased chassis. Mainly at the

  start of L&K automobile pro-

  duction, these were custom or-

  ders. Therefore, each vehicle was

  original. In inter-war Czechoslo-

  vakia, many important compa-

  nies specialised in installing bod-

  ies on vehicle chassis. Among

  the best-known was Sodomka,

  whose customers included do

  -

  mestic and foreign brands. The

  Vrchlabí plant, which has been

  part of ŠKODA AUTO since 1947,

  has its roots in the Petera body

  shop. Other renowned Czech ve-

  hicle body design companies in-

  cluded the firms Oldřich Uhlík,

  Leitner from Pilsen and the re

  -

  nowned Pilsen-based company

  Brožík, which reached its profes-

  sional pinnacle in 1925, when,

  at the request of French studio

  Kellner, it produced a body for a

  Hispano-Suiza limousine intend-

  ed for President Masaryk.

  MAKE ONLY THE CHASSIS FOR ME,

  PLEASE

• Page 7

  7

  A

  t the beginning of 1930,

  Czech authorities registered

  the country’s 100,000th mo-

  tor vehicle – 41,020 of which

  were personal vehicles. “A

  personal motor vehicle is under

  -

  stood as a vehicle that can transport

  a maximum of eight persons, includ-

  ing the driver”, read the 1932 legisla-

  tion pertaining to automobile trac.

  Trac lights appeared at some inter-

  sections. However, at the beginning

  of the 1930s, a major economic cri-

  sis arose that led to lay-os and low-

  er wages, and there were frequent

  labour strikes. Just like in the post-

  war period, people began consider-

  ing cars an unnecessary luxury. And

  so, vehicles were sold more to state

  enterprises, such as the postal ser-

  vice or militias. The ŠKODA brand

  reacted more strongly to the com

  -

  plicated economic situation and

  the demand for the cheapest ve

  -

  hicles than other Czech manufac-

  turers. The price of the POPULAR

  model, thanks to a change in its de-

  sign and production concept, fell by

  more than 40 percent compared

  with its predecessor, the ŠKODA 420

  STANDARD. Therefore, the carmak-

  er was able to oer a vehicle for the

  common folk, which was a dream

  of President Masaryk’s. However,

  more aordable motorcycles did not

  lose their importance. With a trail-

  er hitch, they could transport even

  more people and freight.

  DEMOCRATISATION

  OF TRAFFIC

  ŠKODA POPULAR

• Page 8

  8

  W

  hile drivers in the 1920s

  did not focus much on

  attire to wear in a car, in

  the 1930s they began to

  wear clothing specifical-

  ly for driving. The attire included

  English suits, striped shirts with

  rounded collars, trousers extend

  -

  ing to below the knees, pumps,

  stockings and derby shoes with

  open laces. Such attire also includ-

  ed a beige coat that some ladies

  wore inside the car. A combined

  suit became a popular choice. All

  of this was complemented by a

  head covering, gloves and motor

  -

  ing goggles, which shielded eyes

  from dust. As early as the 1920s,

  modern women gradually add

  -

  ed trousers to their wardrobes. A

  trend was to shorten the skirt and

  hair. With gradual emancipation,

  women became not only a draw

  for advertisements for cars for sale

  but also drivers and racers. For ex-

  ample, a pioneer in women’s au-

  tomobile sport, Eliška Junková

  (19001994) presided over the

  new Ladies’ Section of the Repub-

  lic Auto Club in the 1930s.

  PUMPS

  AND

  TAILORED

  ATTIRE

• Page 9

  9

  D

  uring the First Republic,

  those who wanted to become

  a driver and receive a driving

  licence did not need to com-

  plete a driving course. He/she

  only had to be at least 18 years of

  age, undergo a physical examination,

  prove knowledge of regulations and

  complete a practical driving test.

  The fee for all this was CZK 33.20.

  Basically, at the outset, anyone

  could drive a motor vehicle. In 1932,

  a decision was made to prohibit al-

  lowing graduates of questionable

  driving schools from taking driving

  tests. L&K became a pioneer in the

  instruction of proper driving in the

  Czech lands. It had already started

  teaching its customers to drive and

  operate vehicles back in 1907.

  Over time, the traffic infrastruc-

  ture also improved. Dusty gravel

  and paved roads were complement-

  ed by asphalt and concrete pave-

  ment. Although Czechoslovakia had

  already committed in 1926 to im-

  plementing driving on the right,

  at the time driving was still on the

  left-hand side of the road. How-

  ever, not all vehicles at that time

  were manufactured with a steering

  wheel on the right-hand side. Cer-

  tain cars had them installed on the

  le based on the wishes of custom-

  ers and many designs. As of 1939,

  the roads were lined with traffic

  signs, which remain in eect today,

  with only minor changes. However,

  the trac regulations from the First

  Republic would seem like a joke to

  many drivers today. For example, in

  1918, a driver was required to make

  a sound before every intersection.

  A signal pipe, horn, bugle, signal

  -

  ling whistle or even a siren could be

  used for this purpose. Therefore, a

  wide range of dierent sounds were

  emitted on the streets.

  HONK

  AT AN INTERSECTION

  PRICES

  OF ŠKODA

  CARS

  MID1920s

  Luxury L&K ŠKODA

  350 and 450

  CZK 160,000

  1930s

  Mid-size ŠKODA 422

  CZK 33,000

  ŠKODA 420 Standard

  CZK 29,800

  ŠKODA POPULAR 995

  (Liduška)

  CZK 17,300

  Average annual salary

  of a male official

  CZK 18,000

  of a female official

  CZK 10,000

  TRAFFIC SIGNS

  Based on a government regu-

  lation from 1935, the first six

  types of warning markings

  (stripes, bends, intersections,

  protected crossing strips, un-

  protected crossing of tracks

  and hazards other than the

  first five) were officially

  implemented in Czechoslo-

  vakia. The signs already had

  the shape of an equilateral

  triangle with a side length of

  1,000 mm, and the symbols

  were white on a blue back-

  ground. Along state road-

  ways, authorities indicated

  the names of municipalities

  if they had a population of at

  least 5,000 inhabitants.

• Page 10

  10

  BEFORE THE FIRST WORLD WAR, LAURIN

  & KLEMENT WAS DOING WELL, AND TWO-

  THIRDS OF VEHICLES MANUFACTURED

  IN 1914 IN THE FUTURE STATE OF

  CZECHOSLOVAKIA ORIGINATED AT THE

  CARMAKER IN MLADÁ BOLESLAV, AND

  75 PERCENT OF PRODUCTION WAS

  INTENDED FOR EXPORT. THE COLLAPSE

  OF THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN EMPIRE

  AND THE RUSSIAN CIVIL WAR DEPRIVED

  THE CARMAKER OF ITS TRADITIONAL

  KEY MARKETS. BUSINESSPEOPLE AT

  LAURIN & KLEMENT REACTED TO THE

  ECONOMIC SITUATION IN 1921 AND 1922

  BY REDUCING WAGES BY 30 PERCENT.

  DEMAND FOR CARS, PRODUCTION

  AND THE NUMBER OF WORKERS ALL

  DECLINED.

  WHEN THE FACTORY OVERCAME THE

  CRISIS, THERE WAS ANOTHER DISASTER.

  IN 1924, THE FACTORY WAS AFFECTED

  BY A DEVASTATING FIRE. THE MERGER

  WITH ŠKODA PLZEŇ ENABLED WHAT

  AT THE TIME WAS AN ASTRONOMICAL

  INVESTMENT OF CZK 220 MILLION

  TO MODERNISE THE PLANT. THE

  MANAGEMENT OF THE GROUP AT THE

  TIME REALISED THAT MANUFACTURERS

  OF VEHICLES THAT WOULD NOT SWITCH

  TO USING ASSEMBLY LINES WOULD NOT

  SURVIVE. SO, ONE FINAL STEP NEEDED

  TO BE TAKEN. IT WAS THE DEVELOPMENT

  OF CHEAP AND QUALITY VEHICLES THAT

  WOULD USE THE POTENTIAL OF TOP-

  NOTCH TECHNOLOGY AT A NEW FACTORY.

• Page 11

  11

• Page 12

  12

  COMBINATION

  WITH ŠKODA

  PLANTS

  T

  he consequences of the fire

  further worsened the com

  -

  pany’s financial situation. Af-

  ter careful consideration, the

  company merged with Ško

  -

  da Works in Pilsen. This resolved

  the problem of needing great finan-

  cial investments to develop produc-

  tion. Aer the merger, the factory in

  Mladá Boleslav underwent extensive

  modernisation. A new body shop

  was created, along with an assem

  -

  bly facility, which awaited the quick

  launch of assembly line production.

  The amount that the new partner

  added to development became the

  greatest investment during the First

  Republic. This led to new models,

  standardisation of components, and

  the vehicles became more aordable.

  KEY

  ASSEMBLY LINE

  PRODUCTION

  T

  he modern production meth-

  od, which had started be-

  ing used in the United States

  at the turn of the century

  and was developed by Hen

  -

  ry Ford for automobile production,

  was implemented successfully at

  the Mladá Boleslav factory at the

  end of the 1920s. It was also thanks

  to assembly line production that in

  the 1930s the car began succeed

  -

  ing again. From the beginning, dur-

  ing the eight-hour work period, they

  produced 20 vehicles. Following the

  implementation of shi operation,

  this number rose to 85 daily. In the

  meantime, however, the company

  had to overcome a period of major

  economic crisis, which in the 1930s

  also impacted Czechoslovak industry.

  FULFILLING

  THE DREAM

  OF MASARYK

  T

  he economic decline eventu-

  ally had a positive outcome. It

  sped up work on a car intend-

  ed for common folk. First, the

  parts were harmonised. Aer

  the ŠKODA 4R and ŠKODA 6R vehi-

  cle series, the production of a new

  production series of vehicles was

  launched: the ŠKODA 422, 430, 645

  and 860. The first numerals in the

  description express the number of

  cylinders, and the other two express

  performance measured in horse-

  power. However, with the 860 mod-

  el, the carmaker waded into a cri-

  sis period. Demand required highly

  unified but mainly inexpensive vehi-

  cles that ocials and self-employed

  entrepreneurs could aord.

• Page 13

  13

  PRESENTING

  THE POPULAR

  I

  n the spring of 1934, the car-

  maker finally introduced a vehi-

  cle that fulfilled these require-

  ments: the ŠKODA POPULAR

  model. The first promotional fly-

  er proudly boasted of a price nev-

  er seen before. The four-seat cabrio-

  let was sold for CZK 18,800, and the

  two-seat roadster for CZK 17,800.

  This was a veritable price revolu

  -

  tion. Aer all, the lowest value of

  the ŠKODA 430 vehicle in 1929 had

  been CZK 45,500. It is no wonder

  that the first-generation POPULAR

  enjoyed such success. 900 of them

  were manufactured with various

  types of bodies – from semi-cabrio-

  let, roadsters and two-door vehicles

  to aerodynamic coupés. The chassis

  was used with minor modifications

  for all of the models that the brand

  produced until the early 1970s.

  BACK

  AT THE TOP

  T

  he further improved genera-

  tion of the POPULAR model

  led the Mladá Boleslav brand

  to top sales of cars in Czech-

  oslovakia. In 1935, it was

  among the 1,892 supplied vehicles

  in third place behind the first-place

  Tatra and second-place Praga. A year

  later, ŠKODA with 3,013 sold vehi-

  cles dominated and confirmed its

  position among the big players in

  the Czechoslovak engineering indus-

  try. It never again allowed its com-

  petitors to take first place. The suc-

  cesses can be attributed not only to

  the POPULAR but also to the abso-

  lutely new model series that was de-

  rived from it.

  Major

  economic crisis

  450

  400

  400

  700

  1.300

  2.000

  2.800

  5.500

  3.400

  9.100

  10.200

  7.700

  9.000

  7.100

  5.600

  8.000

  9.000

  11.700

  13.300

  13.900

  1919

  1920

  1921

  1922

  1923

  1924

  1925

  1926

  1927

  1928

  1929

  1930

  1931

  1932

  1933

  1934

  1935

  1936

  1937

  1938

  PRODUCTION

  OF PERSONAL

  AND UTILITY

  VEHICLES IN

  CZECHOSLOVAKIA

• Page 14

  14

  ŠKODA 645

  M

  assive investments to mod

  -

  ernise the plant in Mladá

  Boleslav led to the first suc-

  cesses in 1929, when series

  production of the mod-

  el ŠKODA 430 was launched. The

  vehicle had a chassis with a wood-

  en step frame, rigid axles and me-

  chanically controlled brakes. A total

  of 3,028 of these vehicles were sold

  within four years. The cornerstone

  of the new production programme

  was soon enhanced with vehi-

  cles for a wealthier clientele. The

  six-cylinder 645 with the four-cyl

  -

  inder 430 series had identical com-

  ponents, as evidenced by the im-

  plemented standardisation. The

  culmination of the offer was the

  4-litre ŠKODA 860, whose type de-

  scription revealed an eight-cylinder

  vehicle with 60 hp. Its success was

  complicated by the great econom-

  ic crisis, and so only 49 of them

  were produced with the body of

  a sedan, cabriolet or faux-cabriolet

  that had a sturdy roof, resembling

  a convertible.

  FROM CUSTOMISED CARS

  TO ASSEMBLY LINE PRODUCTION

  ŠKODA 860

• Page 15

  15

  THE ROOTS OF

  SMART SOLUTIONS

  The Simply Clever philosophy belongs

  naturally to the carmaker’s DNA. A

  clear example of this can be found

  already in 1925, when the factory

  produced the L&K type 110 model

  with a combined body. On work days,

  it served as a two-seat station wagon,

  but on Sundays, it could be convert-

  ed into a four-seat personal vehicle.

  Simply Clever. However, not only

  designers came up with the innovative

  solution. For example, in 1919, super-

  visor Syrovátka received a CZK 600

  reward for saving fuel consumption,

  which produced a new combustion

  engine solution. The carmaker already

  supported measures for improvement

  during the First Republic and, thanks

  to them, achieved success among

  customers, just like today.

  ŠKODA POPULAR

  ŠKODA RAPID

  ŠKODA SUPERB

  I

  n 1934, many years of systemat-

  ic work of all of the carmaker’s

  employees reached a peak. A

  genuine earthquake on the do-

  mestic automobile market was

  caused by the small ŠKODA POP

  -

  ULAR. It had the descriptive label

  418, and its design was based on

  the 420 Standard model, which,

  unlike ŠKODA’s production so far,

  used a backbone chassis frame.

  The sophisticated design, which

  the constructors managed to de

  -

  velop and modernise for further

  generations, brought about ex

  -

  cellent driving quality and helped

  to improve the brand’s sales per-

  formance. The POPULAR was fol-

  lowed by its larger and more spa-

  cious brother, the RAPID. The

  range of vehicles with a backbone

  frame and a uniform design of ve-

  hicle bodies was added to by the

  spacious and efficient FAVORIT

  and the luxurious six-cylinder

  SUPERB for prominent customers.

  TARGETED SERIES

  CONQUERED MARKETS

• Page 16

  ALL

  THE PRESIDENT’S

  VEHICLES

  H

  aving been appointed president in

  absentia, Masaryk arrived by train

  at Prague’s Emperor Franz Joseph

  Railway Station (today Prague’s

  Main Railway Station) on 21 De

  -

  cember 1918. He was welcomed there

  by the chairman of the Revolutionary

  National Assembly, František Tomášek,

  and with the Laurin & Klement automo-

  bile they took a triumphant ride in a se-

  ries S vehicle to Sněmovní Street, where

  the Philosophy professor was sworn in

  as president. Along the way, they were

  greeted by crowds of cheering citizens.

  The ŠKODA Hispano-Suiza luxury limou-

  sine, which the carmaker manufactured

  based on a French licence, began being

  used as the president’s car in May 1926.

  His oce paid CZK 280,000 for it, and

  Masaryk used it until he stepped down

  from his post in 1935. Via the “Liberator

  President”, the ŠKODA brand also blend-

  ed symbolically with the young republic.

  A LEADER

  WITH A VISION

  U

  nder the leadership of Ka-

  rel Hrdlíčka (1888–1979,

  pictured on the right), the

  ŠKODA brand again became

  the No. 1 carmaker in the

  First Republic. This was enabled

  through stages that he successful

  -

  ly implemented and realised, from

  modernising production and in

  -

  creasing its capacity to expanding

  the sales network and oering mod-

  els that meet the needs and eco-

  nomic buying power of customers.

  He was appointed designer and ex-

  perienced manager by the direc-

  tor of the Mladá Boleslav factory in

  1930, and eight years later he be-

  came the top director of the joint-

  stock company Akciová společnost

  pro automobilový průmysl (ASAP),

  which was the name of one of the

  divisions of Škoda Works at the

  time. He was among the greatest

  personalities in the First Republic’s

  industrial sector.

  BRILLIANT

  DESIGNER

  In his twenties, Czech

  Technical University

  graduate Vladimír Matouš

  (1896‒1963) contributed to

  the licensed production of

  the luxury vehicle ŠKODA

  Hispano-Suiza. He later

  began working in Mladá

  Boleslav, and in 1931 he be-

  came the head of the Design

  Office, which was respon-

  sible for the development

  of personal and light utility

  vehicles. His emphasis on

  quality, reliability and stand-

  ardisation of components

  was applied during the

  implementation of assembly

  line production, like during

  the fundamental design and

  technological transition

  from step to backbone frame

  chassis design and from

  rigid axles to independent

  all-wheel suspension.

  16

  POLITICIANS, TOP

  MANAGERS AND ATHLETES,

  STARS OF CULTURAL LIFE,

  DESIGN GENIUSES. THE

  ŠKODA BRAND HAS PLAYED

  AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE

  LIFE OF MORE THAN ONE

  PERSONALITY OF INTER-WAR

  CZECHOSLOVAKIA.

  HEARTFELT

  DEVOTEES

  AND AMBASSADORS

• Page 17

  17

  PROPELLED

  BY LUCK

  T

  he small vehicle will go up hills

  with cool temperatures on snowy

  mountains, quietly and easily, as if

  propelled forward by luck instead

  of petrol”, writes actress and writ-

  er Olga Scheinpflugová in the book Český

  román (The Czech Novel). She took her

  first vacation with Karel Čapek in 1935

  aer 15 years of knowing him. They were

  taken to the Alps in a newly purchased

  ŠKODA POPULAR 418 Standard vehicle

  by a hired chaueur. Along the way, the

  famous writer proposed to the actress,

  and she said yes, so somewhat later they

  were taken to the town hall in their POP-

  ULAR. Two years aer the wedding, the

  couple treated themselves with a new

  ŠKODA RAPID model.

  A VEHICLE

  FOR A KING

  T

  he beautiful special intended

  for fans of the Popular Monte

  Carlo even went in two parts

  all the way to the royal court

  in Belgrade. The car for Petar,

  the last Yugoslav (then still adoles-

  cent) king, had a royal crown on it

  instead of the classic arrow symbol.

  WOMEN

  BEHIND THE

  STEERING

  WHEEL

  Female drivers were

  a phenomenon of the

  time. Eliška Junková

  was famous for her love

  of racing, as was Olga

  Scheinpflugová and

  motorcycle diarist Lída

  Horská. Regular sections

  in the women’s magazine

  Lada also focused on

  automobile enthusiasm.

  PROUD OWNERS

  During the First Republic, it was

  possible to see many well-known

  personalities riding in vehicles of

  the brand, including: Count Jiří

  Sternberg – ŠKODA 6R, Count

  Zdenko Radslav Kinský – ŠKODA

  430, Prime Minister František

  Udržal – ŠKODA 650 andSUPERB,

  motorcycle racer František Juhan–

  POPULAR roadster, football players

  František Plánička andLadislav

  Ženíšek – POPULAR, music com-

  poser Jaroslav Jankovec– RAPID

  Tudor, businessman Tomáš Baťa Jr.

  – POPULAR 418.

• Page 18

  18

  Experienced travelling couple

  Stanislav Škulin and Marie Škuli

  -

  nová set out on a trip to Africa in

  June 1936. In the RAPID, they

  drove across the continent, and the

  vehicle did not disappoint them on

  their journey over two years and

  52,000 km. The backbone frame

  enabled a significant reduction of

  weight strain, and due to its stabil-

  ity the vehicle body did not suer

  very much during the drives across

  the terrain. Its reliability was also

  demonstrated by a trip through

  the rainforests during the rainy

  season. Adventurers in the mud

  propped up the wheels with tree

  trunks, and they crossed rivers by

  driving over bridges or floating on

  improvised rafts. They managed

  their adventurous trek with grace,

  and when they arrived at the Cape

  of Good Hope after a year, they

  re-evaluated their original plans to

  use ship transport and decided to

  return to Prague in their own vehi-

  cle! “We believe in the RAPID”, they

  proclaimed via telegram. At home,

  they held popular seminars for the

  public and promoted the brand

  to a great extent. They also signif

  -

  icantly increased sales in the coun

  -

  tries through which they transited.

  For example, in South Africa they

  increased sales by a remarkable

  200 percent.

  52,000 KM

  ACROSS AFRICA

  THE MANAGEMENT OF THE FACTORY

  IN MLADÁ BOLESLAV CAREFULLY

  MONITORED SOCIAL TRENDS. IN THE

  MID-1930S, CZECHS AND SLOVAKS

  BEGAN TRAVELLING ABROAD IN

  NUMBERS THAT HAD NEVER BEEN SEEN

  BEFORE. CARS NATURALLY OFFERED

  THEM GREATER FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT

  AND COMFORT THAN ANY OTHER

  MEANS OF TRANSPORT. THEREFORE,

  THE ŠKODA BRAND BEGAN USING THE

  EXPLOITS OF TRAVELLERS, AS WELL AS

  MOTORING ENTHUSIASTS, TO PROMOTE

  ITS MODELS. READERS ENJOYED THEIR

  TRAVEL ACCOUNTS AS WRITTEN IN

  NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES, AND

  THEY COULD NOT OVERLOOK THE FACT

  THAT ON DEMANDING TERRAIN DURING

  OFTEN DIFFICULT CLIMATE CONDITIONS

  THEY RELIED ON THE QUALITY AND

  DEPENDABILITY OF THE POPULAR AND

  RAPID MODELS. THE LONG-DISTANCE

  JOURNEYS OF THESE SPECIALLY

  DESIGNED ŠKODA VEHICLES ALSO

  RECEIVED ATTENTION IN THE WORLD

  AND SIGNIFICANTLY SUPPORTED THE

  EXPORT OF VEHICLES TO DOZENS OF

  COUNTRIES.

• Page 19

  19

• Page 20

  20

  I

  n the same year, journalist Fran-

  tišek Elstner and his wife, Eva,

  set out on a road trip across the

  United States and Mexico. Over

  a period of 100 days, which in-

  cluded two trips by boat across

  the Atlantic, they travelled 25,000

  km at a daily average of 525 km.

  They gave their trip the name

  “One hundred days in a small car”.

  Their ŠKODA POPULAR had to

  deal with ice, transit areas dev

  -

  astated by tornadoes and exten-

  sive flooding and climb a height

  of 2,500 m above sea level on the

  side of Popocatépetl in Mexico. On

  their return trip, they also trav-

  elled through Spain, where a civil

  war was raging. Eva Elstnerová suf-

  fered a broken rib and injured fore-

  head resulting from a collision with

  a truck driven by Franco’s guards,

  and this proved that she certain-

  ly was not a traveller “for the sake

  of appearance”. In 1938, she ac-

  companied her husband in a new

  POPULAR 1100 HV vehicle across

  Argentina. They managed to cov-

  er more than 6,000 km of dicult

  rocky terrain in just 12 days.

  100 DAYS

  IN A SMALL

  CAR

• Page 21

  21

  P

  rague entrepreneur and

  adventurer Břetislav Jan

  Procházka was one of the

  celebrity travellers of the

  First Republic. “I gained

  the most respect for the POPU

  -

  LAR vehicle. I gave it my all, hav-

  ing only one shot at it. To this day,

  I don’t understand how I managed

  to keep the half-shas in place on

  these challenging trips”, he com-

  mented regarding the series ve-

  hicle, which he first took to the

  Sněžka Mountain. He ascended

  the highest mountain in Bohemia

  with the help of his friends, some

  of whom turned around when the

  going got tough along the way,

  and with two wooden planks to

  support the wheels. But that was

  not enough. So the car enthusiast

  and co-owner of a vehicle service

  shop in Prague’s Smíchov neigh-

  bourhood decided to undertake a

  riskier journey with a friend of his,

  Jindřich Kubias, who was a butch-

  er from Vamberk. In 1936 with

  the ŠKODA RAPID semi-cabrio

  -

  let, they set out on a trip around

  the world. The vehicle differed

  from the standard design only in

  its terrain tyres, added fuel tanks,

  batteries and horns, as well as fog

  lights, a car radio and a Scintilla

  Vertex ignition magnet. The cush-

  ion design enabled a two-member

  crew to take a non-stop journey.

  The route led them from Czech

  -

  oslovakia through Germany, Po-

  land, Lithuania, Latvia, the Soviet

  Union, Iran, present-day Pakistan,

  India, Malaysia, Singapore, China,

  Japan, the USA and France back

  to Prague. They travelled 27,000

  km in 97 days, 53 days of which

  they spent on ferries or resolving

  the demanding ocial formalities.

  They covered an average of 630

  km daily, and their achievements

  were carefully monitored by the

  press. News was sent home via

  letter and telegram, including de-

  tails such as seeing Baťa shoes be-

  ing worn by Chinese women. The

  RAPID managed the journey with-

  out problems and with only two

  service checks – in Tehran and San

  Francisco.

  PATH

  AROUND

  THE WORLD

  IN 97 DAYS

  FULL FIELD

  FOR TRAVEL

  AROUND

  THE WORLD

  Kubias/Procházka crew certainly

  did not pack light for their trip.

  Everything that they fit into their

  vehicle

  Two fire extinguishers, tools and

  hoists, compasses, binoculars,

  camera, tent, kerosene cooker, four

  inflatable mattresses, three suitcases

  full of clothing, a well-concealed rifle

  and four pistols, 50cans of meat,

  four sticks of tourist salami, 10 kg

  of chocolate, two bottles of whisky,

  a bottle of cognac and other spirits.

  lahve whisky, lahev koňaku adalší

  proviant.

• Page 22

  22

  PLOUGHS

  WENT ON

  TRACKS

  T

  he most sought-aer prod-

  uct of the Mladá Boleslav

  factory in 1919 was the Ex

  -

  celsior motorised plough.

  A total of 75 of them were

  delivered to customers, most of

  whom were in France. The high

  demand for these performing ma-

  chines was due to a shortage of

  ploughing livestock and human la-

  bour in post-war agriculture.

  WHEN LIFE

  IS AT STAKE

  V

  ehicle body manufacturers

  were involved in producing

  ambulances during the First

  Republic. For example, Old-

  řich Uhlík’s Prague compa-

  ny mounted remodelled wooden

  parts on the ŠKODA 125 utility ve-

  hicle for the capital city’s medical

  department. For the sanatorium in

  Prague’s Podolí neighbourhood, it

  remodelled the six-cylinder ŠKODA

  6R (2.9 l / 37 kW) vehicle to create

  an ambulance more than 5 metres

  in length that came fully furnished.

  In Kadaň, a ŠKODA 645 ambulance

  was used with a pair of stretchers

  suspended on coil springs.

  ESPECIALLY IN THE 1930S,

  ŠKODA UTILITY VEHICLES WERE

  ABSOLUTELY TOP-QUALITY. THEIR

  DEVELOPMENT WAS THE FOCUS

  OF A SPECIAL DEPARTMENT,

  HEADED BY DESIGNER OLDŘICH

  MEDUNA, WHO CAME UP WITH

  ADVANCED SOLUTIONS THAT

  MADE OPERATION EASIER. FOR

  EXAMPLE, HIS APPROACH WAS

  EXCELLENTLY DEMONSTRATED

  BY THE AERODYNAMIC ŠKODA

  532 BUS, WHICH HAD AN

  ENGINE IN THE BACK THAT, WITH

  ITS LOW-FLOOR DESIGN, WAS

  DECADES AHEAD OF ITS TIME.

  ITS AGGREGATE UNIT SAT ON THE

  RAILS, SO IT COULD BE EASILY

  DISASSEMBLED AND REPLACED

  DURING REPAIRS.

• Page 23

  23

  ŠKODA CONQUERS

  THE CORPORATE

  WORLD

  T

  he van versions of the POPULAR helped the de-

  velopment of business in the First Republic. The

  Prague branch of Julius Meinl placed an order for

  one. Another was held by the Czechoslovak Automo-

  bile Club, which used it as a technical support vehi-

  cle. In 1936, utility vehicles reached all the way to Pales-

  tine, Syria, Iran and South Africa. As of 1937, all POPULAR

  vehicles intended for export had a standard dierential,

  and supplying to the domestic market was only possible

  for an additional fee. In 1937, the carmaker exported 12

  reinforced chassis for POPULAR vans to Uruguay, where

  local manufacturers mounted the vehicle bodies. From

  March 1935 to September 1937, the carmaker manufac-

  tured 228 vehicles with a factory body and a “bottom” en-

  gine (aggregate units with a camsha in the engine block

  and lateral valves).

  FIREMEN AND THEIR

  ŠKODA 860

  A

  t around noon on 20 September 1937, a huge fire

  broke out at the Mladá Boleslav factory. “Clouds of

  thick smoke billowed from the large factory site on

  the edge of town, with sporadic sparks”, the news-

  paper Expres wrote at the time. The fire spread

  quickly, as the flames were helped along by a large amount

  of flammable manufacturing material. Fire brigades from

  the surrounding area, including the local volunteer fire bri-

  gade, went to the site to put out the fire. The company’s

  employees also helped to put out the fire and save com-

  pany property. The Mladá Boleslav Volunteer Fire Brigade

  deserved the most praise. As a reward, they subsequent-

  ly received a ŠKODA 860 vehicle. In the letter of thanks,

  which the firemen sent to the factory, they promised that

  they would be ready when needed and would guarantee

  the safety of people and their property at the plant and

  in town. The Mladá Boleslav firemen still have their own

  ŠKODA 860 today and take good care of it.

  VARIABLE

  WORK

  T

  he 550 type vehicle registered its last develop-

  ment level of heavy utility vehicles, derived from

  the design of the L&K brand. With a usable weight

  of 5,000 kg and a chassis of 2,900 kg, the utility ve-

  hicle was propelled by a petrol four-cylinder engine

  with imposing drilling of 120 mm cylinders and a raised vol-

  ume of 6,786 cm3. Customers selected from a wide-rang-

  ing oer of designs that included: dumper, tipper, rack and a

  special design for transporting beer, tanks, water trucks and

  sightseeing buses for up to 25 passengers.

• Page 24

  24

  FOLLOWING THE FIRST WORLD

  WAR, THE CARMAKER’S OWNERS

  ENCOUNTERED EXTREMELY HIGH

  COSTS. THE MOST PRESSING SALES

  ARGUMENTS INCLUDED AN EMPHASIS

  ON LONG-TERM USE OF THE VEHICLE

  AND A LACK OF OPERATING

  DEMANDS. MOTORING COMPETITIONS

  BROUGHT CAR MANUFACTURERS

  A WELCOME OPPORTUNITY TO

  SUBJECT THEIR MODELS TO STRESS

  TESTS AS MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC

  LOOKED ON. IN 1920, AT THE FIRST

  OFFICIAL POST-WAR RACE, THE

  FOUR-CYLINDER LK TYPE MF WON

  ON THE TRACK AROUND KARLOVY

  VARY AND MARIÁNSKÉ LÁZNĚ. A

  YEAR LATER, THE LAURIN CARS

  SUCCESSFULLY PARTICIPATED IN

  THE RELIABILITY COMPETITION,

  COVERING A TOTAL DISTANCE OF

  2,000 KM, WHICH WAS ORGANISED

  BY THE CZECHOSLOVAK AUTOMOBILE

  CLUB.

  L

  ow price equals low quality”:

  The carmaker’s management

  attempted to convince cus-

  tomers that this assumption

  did not apply to the POPU-

  LAR and RAPID models. There-

  fore, they began deploying them in

  motoring competitions. The ŠKO-

  DA vehicles were even used to par-

  ticipate in one of the best-known

  races in the First Republic, the

  1,000-mile Czechoslovak race. The

  crews completed 1,600 km of driv-

  ing without resting and completed

  segments between Prague, Brno

  and Bratislava. In 1935, the finish

  line was crossed by the duo An-

  tonín Komár and Vladimir Houšť,

  whose 2-litre aerodynamic special

  ŠKODA RAPID Six came in third in

  its category and fih in the abso-

  lute rankings.

  1,000 MILES

  OF CZECHOSLOVAKIA

• Page 25

  25

  P

  ilot Zdeněk Pohl and navigator

  Jaroslav Hausman achieved

  unexpected success with the

  factory special POPULAR at

  the Monte Carlo Rally. In Jan-

  uary 1936, they started from Ath-

  ens and travelled nearly 4,000 km to

  their destination in Monaco. Their

  car managed to travel at a speed of

  up to 110 km/h, and the Czechs ul-

  timately finished second in the cat-

  egory of 1.5-litre vehicles. The first

  place position eluded them by a ra-

  zor-thin margin because they did not

  inform the organisers of the prohib-

  ited repair of the competing Fiat,

  which they witnessed. Ratting out

  a rival seemed unsportsmanlike.

  Their success inspired them to cre-

  ate 70 vehicles with the description

  ŠKODA POPULAR Monte Carlo. The

  crew got ready for the start again

  in January 1937, this time with a

  two-seat RAPID coupé. In the up-

  to-1,500 cm category, they again

  crossed the finish line in second

  place. However, their rivals lodged a

  protest. The rear-view mirror of the

  race car did not fulfil the competi-

  tion rules, and so the jury pushed

  it to fourth place. Nevertheless, the

  Czechoslovak fans welcomed the

  racers home as victors.

  SILVER

  FROM MONTE CARLO

  I HAVE SEEN STRANGE THINGS ALONG THE WAY.

  ONCE A HORSE BACKED UP AGAINST US WHILE

  WE WERE DRIVING AT FULL SPEED, AND ANOTHER

  TIME I DESPERATELY AVOIDED A HUGE ELEPHANT.

  NO, THERE WAS NOTHING ON THE ROAD,

  ONLY VISIONS DURING A DEMANDING FOURTH

  NIGHT. THE MACHINE WAS QUIET AND INDUCED

  SLEEPINESS, AND THERE WAS THICK FOG.

  ZDENĚK POHL

  ABOUT THE MONTE CARLO RALLY, 1936

• Page 26

  26

  PRICE

  VICTORY

  From today’s perspective, the

  evaluation of competitors at the

  inter-war Monte Carlo Rally occurred

  in a very non-traditional manner. The

  crews left for Monaco from many

  European cities, about 4,000 km

  away. The organisers assigned each

  route a different number of points

  based on difficulty. Racers had to go

  through continuous time checks at

  a specific time or sooner, and even

  a one-minute delay was punished

  by the referees, who subtracted two

  points. During the last 1,000 km,

  their task was already to get to the

  inspection stations and the finish line

  on Monaco’s Place de la Concorde

  Square at the exactly specified time,

  accurate to the minute. Cars were

  only allowed to have permitted

  furnishings, and outside assistance

  and replacement of important parts

  could result in disqualification.

  During the final speed test with a

  fixed start, the crews went through

  a 200-metre-long stretch, and then

  they used the reverse gear to turn

  around, drove around two rods

  to form an eight, went through

  another 180 m segment, and once

  again turned around in the reverse

  direction and with the gas pedal on

  the floor they raced the remaining

  3,000m to the finish.

  T

  he Little Entente automo-

  bile and motorcycling com-

  petition hosted in 1937 was

  among the biggest motor-

  ing competitions organised

  in Czechoslovakia and allied coun-

  tries during the inter-war period.

  Its name was inspired by the mil-

  itary and political pact known as

  the Little Entente, entered into in

  1921 by Czechoslovakia, Romania

  and Yugoslavia. Logically, the route

  of the competition led through

  those three countries. The Mladá

  Boleslav brand entered three aer-

  odynamic models of POPULAR

  and three RAPID vehicles in the

  race. At the finish line in Belgrade,

  Zdeněk Pohl celebrated an abso-

  lute victory. The POPULAR Monte

  Carlo, of course, won in its catego-

  ry of up to 1,500 cm.

  VICTORIOUS JOURNEY

  ACROSS THE BALKANS

• Page 27

  27

  SOCIAL

  POLICY OF

  THE FIRST

  REPUBLIC

  Between 1918 and 1920,

  the state issued several

  decrees: regarding

  child labour, paid leave,

  wage protection and

  collective agreements. For

  example, after a year of

  employment, an employee

  would be entitled to six

  days of leave, and after

  15 years, an employee

  would get eight days off

  every year. Women and

  children up to the age of

  16 could no longer work

  at night. The authorities

  set a maximum number

  of hours for 14-year-old

  workers and prohibited

  work by children under

  the age of 10. However,

  these rules were often

  circumvented in practice,

  and so coal scraps were

  constantly picked up by

  small children, whose

  mothers hauled away full

  baskets.

  T

  he situation aer the First World

  War was dicult in Czechoslovakia.

  The system of supplying the pop-

  ulation with food collapsed, and

  there were often “hunger riots”,

  which even Mladá Boleslav did not es

  -

  cape. The state became interested in so-

  cial measures, and several directives were

  issued regarding the work period, which

  was eight hours long but included Sat-

  urdays, meaning that an average work-

  er spent 48 hours per week at a factory.

  TO HELP THE POOR

  The carmaker’s management took a

  constructive approach to the post-war

  situation, and to mark Klement’s 50th

  birthday, it donated CZK 50,000 for hu-

  manitarian use and distributed food

  worth CZK 10,000 among the poor in

  Mladá Boleslav. The introduction of a

  48-hour work period and other social

  measures led to increases in the prices

  of L&K products beyond acceptable le-

  vels. In November 1918, however, in the

  interest of preserving employment, the

  company took risky measures and ma-

  nufactured for a warehouse.

  DECLINE AND REBOUND

  In 1920, the carmaker had 1,470 em-

  ployees. The following year, the number

  fell to 977, and in 1923 decreased even

  further to just 778. Following the im-

  provement of the economic situation in

  Czechoslovakia in 1928–29, the number

  of people working for the carmaker rose

  to 4,278, but a year later 3,750 workers

  and 500 administrative sta were em-

  ployed. Declining demand in the 1930s

  resulted in further lay-os. In 1930, the

  company had 3,714 employees, who

  manufactured 2,841 vehicles, but two

  years later only 2,144 workers worked

  on production of a mere 383 vehicles.

  Furthermore, the great economic crisis

  forced the carmaker’s management to

  cut wages by 30 percent.

• Page 28