Skoda has rebuilt a historic 1100 OHC Coupe to celebrate the 120th anniversary of its sports division. The car, which competed in several endurance races from 1960 to 1962, it was rebuilt using the original chassis and engine, and paying particular attention to historical documentation.
The teams from the restoration workshop of the Skoda museum and the Prototype Center collaborated on the project, rebuilding the car as a fully functional vehicle and without forgetting the human aspect, thus relying on more artisanal processes, as in the past. Skoda had been working on the car for some time, having acquired the chassis, brakes, pedals and other small parts from a Czech private collection in 2014. However, it was not easy to arrive at the final result: a small ‘Frankenstein’ operation was needed, with other components taken from related cars. In particular the door handles come from a 1200, while some switches and the ignition lock come from an Octavia and a 440 Spartak. The three-spoke steering wheel was taken from a Popular, which was the company’s best-selling pre-war model.
The bodywork was rebuilt using aluminum plates from 0.8 to 1 millimeter thick, which means the car weighs only 555 kilos overall. However, the technological contribution has not been neglected: 3D scanning and modeling were instrumental in bringing the car back to life, along with historical photos. Martin Kadlec, specialist in the construction of Skoda prototypes, explained: “The changes to the shape of the body took dozens of hours“. More or less as it once happened.
The two-seater Skoda 1100 OHC was powered by a naturally aspirated 90hp four-cylinder engine, paired with a five-speed manual gearbox. It could reach speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour and was equipped with dual-circuit brakes. Only two examples of this car were built, in coupé format. They were sold privately in 1966 following changes to the race regulations and the end of the 1100 cm3 category. The reconstruction of the first car is a good initiative, considering also that the second was irreparably damaged in a fire. A spider variant of the model can be found in the Skoda Museum, while its twin is currently used by Skoda UK to promote the brand.
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