ŠKODA MUZEUM EVOLUTION EVOLUTION Laurin and Klement left their mark on their company. They were two strong personalities that together made up a perfect team. They were inspired entrepreneurs, and they created inspiring products. This room traces the brand’s evolution from the first bicycles to design studies for the future. Our cars are about clever technology for its own sake, but about the people who use them. The milestones of our history on display here make this principle tangible. Laurin and Klement believed in steady improvement and the courage to change. It is this legacy of theirs that is present in every Škoda to this day. Škoda automobiles have always been products of their respective time, but conversely, they have also themselves marked their era. EARLY YEARS L & K KOLO SLAVIA 1899 L & K MOTOROVÁ TŘÍKOLKA TYP LW 1911 FIRST AUTOMOBILES L & K VOITURETTE TYP A 1906 Laurin & Klement’s first car immediately became a bestseller. The Voiturette was reliable and elegant, and cost significantly less than the expensive competition. The “small car“ soon won races. Commercial vehicles were added to the firm’s offering later. MODEL RANGE L & K TYP SG 1913 Simple, reliable and affordable – it was according to this formula that the S type, in numerous versions, became the most circulated series model ever to be manufactured by Laurin & Klement. The name Landaulet refers to its body design, inspired by carriage-building. MERGER L & K – ŠKODA TYP 110 1929 Soon after the L & K Škoda merger, the cars had two logos: “Laurin & Klement” and “Škoda”. The L& K – Škoda 110 was manufactured in different body versions. Here is a “Faux Cabrio“: it looks like a convertible with the soft-top roof closed but is, in fact, a saloon. TIMES OF WAR ŠKODA SUPERB 4000 TYP 919 1940 The Škoda Superb 4000 with a V8 engine was designed to be the brand’s luxurious flagship. Ten were made before the out-break of World War II. The 6-cylinder variant of the Superb 3000 was subsequently built in large number as a military vehicle. NEW BEGINNINGS ŠKODA OCTAVIA TYP 985 1960 New suspension and a new name: The Škoda Spartak became the Škoda Octavia. Thanks to its good handling even on bad roads, it became popular all around the world. The name still has a good reputation today – originally coming from the eight post-wat model of the design range. LONG-DISTANCE RUNNER ŠKODA 1000 MB TYP 990 1966 A rear engine from die-cast aluminium, frameless body and other innovations: The Škoda 1000 MB emerged in 1964 to be hailed by international media as one of the best and most modern cars of the 1-liter class. The car’s concept was to hold upwell for decades. SHOW OF STRENGTH ŠKODA FAVORIT 136 L TYP 781 1989 Working together across the Iron Curtain and across language barriers, Škoda’s dedicated staff and Bertone, the Italian design studio created the Favorit in record time, eluding the planned economy. The car came as a basic hatchback version, a pick-up and as the Škoda Forman estate car. JOINING FORCES ŠKODA FELICIA GLXi TYP 791 1995 The first-born of the Škoda-VW partnership was baptized Felicia at Charles Bridge in Prague. The successor of Favorit was developed in only three years and sold like hot cakes at home and abroad. Two-thirds of the production was exported. THE FUTURE ŠKODA VISION D 2011 The VisionD represented a promising design, which was first produced in series in the Rapid. It included a long wheel base, short overhangs, clear and precise lines, a new logo, and the use of crystal glass trim as tribute to the Škoda’s Czech roots. .