At the moment, a magazine report on the Škoda Felicia (type 994) is in the pipeline. The special convertible from the brand that was founded a century ago, and now has a 130-year history, is basically derived from the Škoda 440 'Spartak'. And this year it is celebrating its seventieth anniversary. We will be paying attention to the car and its descendants, which played an important role in the history of the -contemporary- Czech manufacturer.
The Škoda 440 was presented in 1955 as the successor to the 'Tudor series', the first new post-war car from the now Czech manufacturer. The 440 is popularly called 'Spartak', and the new model owes this nickname to the name of the prototype. Production of the new trump card from Czechoslovakia starts on 30 September 1955. It has a 1089 cc OHV engine on board with 40 hp and one Jikov carburettor. In 1957 the 445 came, with a 1221 cc engine and 45 hp. And in September 1958 the 450 - the predecessor of the later Felicia - sees the light of day after a long 'test phase'. Škoda has been sticking to the central tube chassis for years, and the 'Spartak generation' also uses it. The chassis at the front and rear consists of, among other things, transversely mounted springs and a driving rear axle. The suspension was independent all around.
The first two-door version of the Škoda Octavia leaves the main factory in Mladá Boleslav in January 1959, where the Škoda 440 and 445 remain in production for a while. The first chassis of the Felicia is produced in the same factory on 14 January 1959. The body comes from Kvasiny, where it is combined with the chassis and technology. The Octavia and Felicia now have a single grille. Under the bonnet of the Octavia, the 1089 cc engine is mounted again; the four-speed gearbox is unchanged, with the unsynchronised first gear. The same drivetrain is used in the Felicia, but in the convertible the fuel supply of the engine consists of two Jikov 32 SOPb carburettors. The power source also has a higher compression, modified pistons and a sharper camshaft. The power was 50 hp. For the home market the Felicia has floor switching, the export versions have control switching until March 1961.
Technical innovations, including the front axle with coil springs and torsion bar stabilizer, give the Octavia and Felicia better driving characteristics. The introduction of asymmetric headlights in 1959 increases active safety. In 1959, Škoda also presents a more powerful variant with the Octavia Super, with a 1,2-liter engine with a single Jikov carburetor and an output of 33 kW (45 hp). In the meantime, demand for the Octavia model range is increasing at home and abroad.
On March 10, 1960, the sporty Škoda Octavia Touring Sport (TS) premiered at the Geneva Motor Show. It had an engine power of 37 kW (50 hp) and thus the same engine as the Felicia Type 994. Škoda applies to the World Automobile Federation (FIA) for homologation of the TS for racing and rallying in the class of unmodified road vehicles – thus paving the way for the two-door model in motorsport. This is an excellent move by the contemporary Czech manufacturer, because at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1961,1962, 1963 and XNUMX the Octavia TS becomes the winner in its class.
On 11 September 1960, Škoda presented the Octavia Kombi for the first time in Brno with a two-part, horizontally divided tailgate and the 1221 cc engine with one carburettor. Despite its compact external dimensions, the space offered by the five-seater is good. The luggage compartment - with a loading length of 0,965 metres - is 690 litres. After folding down the rear seatbacks, the luggage compartment is even 1050 litres.
In March 1961, Škoda applied a facelift to the Octavia and Felicia. The rear mudguards to wear now a point at the end, and adapted lighting. The grille also changes, and the Felicia - which from August 1960 also becomes available with a hard top - now no longer has a subframe for the roof. It is now directly attached to the bodywork. For the export markets - following the cars for the domestic market - the models get floor shifting and an adapted dashboard (Felicia). The carburetion changes, from now on the models have - depending on the version - one or two Jikov 32 SOPc carburetors. In 1962 the second Octavia TS comes. This variant has the 1221 cc engine with 55 hp and - again - two Jikov 32 SOPc carburetors. This happens synchronously with the Felicia Super, which has the same power source. It sends the original Felicia (type 994) into retirement.
The two-door saloon was built until 1964; the last example – a grey Octavia Super – rolled off the production line in Mladá Boleslav on 11 April. The completely new 1000 MB with a self-supporting body and rear engine became its direct successor. The last model of the Octavia Kombi left the Kvasiny line on 21 December 1971, after the car had been produced in three versions for ten years. This marked the end of the 'Spartak generation' production – more than sixteen years after the arrival of the Škoda 440. A total of 386.555 examples of the entire series were built.
It is not easy to find a good example from this series these days. The parts supply is still quite reasonable, also because this generation of Škoda models was in production for more than sixteen years and shared the necessary components with the 1200 models and the 1203 bus. The long-running series - which was initially put into production as an intermediate model in the run-up to the arrival of the new people's car - the 1000 MB - became a bridge builder for the manufacturer from Czechoslovakia. And one with a very good reputation as well.
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Special cars for me, the Felicia and the Octavia. Those were my parents' first cars. I still find parts during clean-up activities. Of course I try to find enthusiasts for them.
Deer
During my last visit to Prague a few years ago, I saw that in the old city center 2 beautiful Octavia convertibles of the first series could be rented for tourist rides through the city.
Yes, nice models.
Shows something of the important industrial country that the Czech Republic was before WWII.
In Denmark we visited a real Skoda museum on the island of Funen.
Where the Skoda poses next to the Tatra, the other (impressive) brand from this country.
I suspect that the successor, the 1000MB, was of a lot lower quality.
This followed the trend of the engine in the rear, resulting in a vehicle that was sensitive to crosswinds.
The 1000MB, which I once rode a short distance in, was not stable on course, even without wind.
There was a total lack of self-centering ability. If you let go of the steering wheel when going slightly to the left, it stayed that way, etc.
You could say the opposite of the CX, which automatically goes straight when the steering is off.
But the Octavia appeals to me more, a bit like the Aronda (Simca) from Skoda, so to speak
Very nice cars, I still remember seeing them “live”.