Tag Archives: Škoda

CONCEPT CARS

Škoda Reimagines the 110 R Coupe as a Futuristic EV Concept

Sometimes the smartest way forward is to look back. Škoda has done just that with a new digital concept that channels the spirit of its classic 110 R coupe, the cult-favorite two-door that once brought a whiff of sports car glamour to Eastern Bloc roads. Now reinterpreted for the electric era, the project is the latest in a series of design studies that use heritage as a springboard for future ideas.

The original 110 R debuted in 1970 as the sporty sibling to the Škoda 100 sedan. It wasn’t powerful—just 62 hp from a rear-mounted 1.1-liter four-cylinder paired with a four-speed manual—but its rear-wheel-drive layout and sleek fastback shape made it a beloved, attainable coupe for enthusiasts behind the Iron Curtain.

Fast forward more than 50 years, and designer Richard Svec, who joined Škoda in 2023 after a stint at Italdesign in Turin, has reimagined the 110 R for the EV age. Rather than leaning into retro pastiche, Svec focused on proportion, stance, and form to capture the coupe’s essence while pushing its style into the future.

The result is a compact two-door, two-seat electric coupe with a low roofline and fastback tail. Its face nods to the past with headlamps that echo the “melancholic” look of the original, now rendered as sharp rectangles with retractable, body-colored covers. A recessed front end incorporates Škoda’s new “Tech Loop” design language, previewed on the Vision O concept.

Performance cues abound. Inflated fenders wrap around large center-lock wheels with aero covers, while hood ribs, a visible protective cage, and deep side intakes reference the original’s racing pedigree. Out back, hidden taillights and a thin LED strip mirror the car’s front-end graphics, giving the coupe a unified look from every angle.

Škoda has yet to disclose powertrain details, but speculation suggests a rear-mounted electric motor—true to the original’s layout—would be the logical choice. If it borrows from the brand’s current EVs like the Elroq or Enyaq, output could hit around 286 metric horsepower, a number that would make this lightweight coupe plenty quick.

As with most digital concepts, Škoda has no plans to put the 110 R Coupe into production. Still, the design exercise hints at what could be possible if the company’s bread-and-butter EVs continue to succeed. With mainstream profits secured, Škoda could have the flexibility to indulge in halo products like this—cars that connect emotional heritage with a forward-looking identity.

For now, the 110 R digital coupe remains a tantalizing glimpse of what might be: a reminder that heritage can still guide the future, even in the age of electrification.

Source: Škoda

News

Škoda Museum at 30: Celebrating a Century-Plus of Heritage in Motion

Thirty years ago, Škoda Auto decided that its 100th birthday wasn’t something to mark with a cake and candles alone. Instead, it opened the Škoda Museum in Mladá Boleslav, a living, breathing temple to Czech automotive history housed inside the very walls where the company once built bicycles, motorcycles, and some of its earliest cars. Since that day in 1995, more than four million visitors have walked through its doors—and the celebration isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

An Industrial Landmark With a Story

The museum lives inside a restored early-20th-century industrial building on Václav Klement Avenue, a stone’s throw from Škoda’s main plant. It’s the kind of place where heritage isn’t a marketing buzzword—it’s brick, steel, and history baked into the walls. Originally home to Laurin & Klement’s mechanical dreams—two-wheelers, engines, and eventually four-wheeled machines—the space was transformed into a full-scale museum, then thoroughly modernized in 2012 to become what it is today: a 1,800-square-meter gallery of Czech engineering spirit.

Three Halls, Countless Stories

The layout is deceptively simple—three sections called Tradition, Evolution, and Precision—but within those walls are 50 cars, five motorcycles, and a pair of bicycles that tell the full arc of Škoda’s journey. A separate repository houses another 23 prototypes, concept studies, and race cars, many of which rotate into themed exhibitions that keep the collection fresh.

One of the more surprising displays arrived in 2018: a Laurin & Klement–Lorraine-Dietrich 450 aircraft engine from 1926. It’s a rare nod to the company’s aviation chapter, showcased in collaboration with Prague’s National Technical Museum. It’s proof that Škoda’s legacy stretches far beyond the asphalt.

More Than a Car Museum

The Škoda Museum isn’t just about static displays. It’s a cultural anchor for Mladá Boleslav and beyond, hosting concerts, lectures, workshops, and the nationwide Museum Night events. For locals, it’s as much a community hub as it is an automotive shrine. For international visitors, it’s a perfect launchpad for a factory tour in Mladá Boleslav, Vrchlabí, or Kvasiny—or even a side trip to Ferdinand Porsche’s birthplace in nearby Vratislavice.

Rolling Exhibitions

If you think the museum is just about mothballed classics, think again. Recent themed shows have spotlighted the new-generation Superb alongside all of its predecessors, marked 50 years of Škoda’s RS performance badge, and dug into the history of icons like the Popular, Rapid, and the 1000 MB. Exhibits also don’t shy away from today’s topics: sustainability and ecology have taken center stage in recent years, proof that heritage and the future can share the same stage.

Two Anniversaries, One Legacy

This year marks a dual celebration: 30 years of the museum and 130 years of Škoda Auto itself—making the Czech brand one of the world’s oldest carmakers still in operation. To honor that, a special exhibition runs through the end of the year, connecting the dots between the company’s pioneering beginnings and its modern identity.

Why It Matters

Plenty of automakers have museums, but Škoda’s feels different. It’s rooted not in corporate gloss but in authentic industrial heritage and a region’s pride. It’s where Czech craftsmanship, ingenuity, and resilience are put on display for the world to see. And as the museum steps into its fourth decade, it stands as proof that Škoda’s story isn’t just about cars—it’s about culture.

Source: Škoda

CONCEPT CARS

Škoda Felicia Fun is Back… but Only in Pixels

Once upon a time, Škoda made a subcompact pickup that was… well, fun. Literally. Meet the Felicia Fun, a bright yellow, slightly bonkers leisure vehicle from the mid-1990s, now resurrected as a virtual concept that’s almost too cool for reality.

The original Felicia Fun was Škoda’s cheeky nod to playfulness. Based on the 1994 Felicia hatchback—which itself was Škoda’s first real collaboration with German engineering—the Fun was a 2+2 pickup with a sliding rear partition, canvas roof, and just enough quirks to make your weekend trips to the beach feel like a mission in a retro video game. Only 4,216 were ever made, each adorned in sunshine-yellow paint with optional green or orange highlights. It had a rear spoiler, open-air seating, and a vibe that screamed “holiday, not homework.”

Fast forward nearly 30 years, and the Felicia Fun is back—though you’ll need a VR headset to enjoy it. Part of Škoda’s “Icons Get a Makeover” series, French designer Julien Petitseigneur has reimagined the Fun in the brand’s Modern Solid design language. The result? A contemporary two-seater pickup that nods to its 1990s roots while oozing a cool beach vibe.

Inside, nostalgia reigns supreme. The dashboard is checkered, screens dominate the cabin, and graphics channel the pixelated charm of old-school video games. Gone is the 2+2 layout; the modern Fun is a pure two-seater, prioritizing cargo space over rear passengers. It’s a clever experiment that reminds us Škoda can still be playful in a world dominated by SUVs, crossovers, and spreadsheets.

Of course, this Felicia Fun will never hit the roads. Škoda hasn’t made a pickup since the original left the market, and projects like their would-be Amarok never saw the light of day. That said, the company’s students have recently shown they haven’t lost their sense of adventure—turning a Superb into a one-off pickup with sliding trunk lids and bike racks earlier this year.

So, while we can’t buy one, we can enjoy a digital dive into Škoda’s whimsical past. The Felicia Fun reminds us that sometimes, automotive joy is measured not in horsepower, but in pure, pixelated playfulness.

Source: Škoda