The Skoda, an Online Primer


(About photo: Most Skodas look nothing like this. For a brief moment, Communist car design shined... in a retarded kind of way.)

PERSONAL REFLECTIONS
-- On an excursion to Prague in November 2004, two journalists document, between dollar beers and deep-fried chicken-and-potato nuggets, a few choice rides.

HISTORY
-- The official history of the Skoda, starting when the men were bicycle manufacturers. Something called Grandfather Automobile debuts in 1905. At press time it's unclear whether this is a person or the name of a car. Maybe it's a mascot.

-- The site design of this page is as appealing as the car itself. Two pages of fun for the enthusiast: Page 1 and Page 2.

NEWS
-- Skoda sales were slumping in 2003 though the company hoped to rectify this, but that depends on what you mean by rectify and whether you have an Eastern European sense of hope: "It's hard to say that we'll do something to increase the figures," says some spokesman for the company.

-- Don't count on every mechanic to know how to fix your fine auto-mobile. These pros are helpful but begin their web-side assistance with the words every owner dreads to hear: "We are not familiar with the make of your car."


GALLERIES
-- The Skoda gallery at VWVortex makes these things look almost like cars. The "concept" Skodas are particularly unremarkable -- it's as if the Superb was given the chassis of the Octavia and the drive shaft of the Octavia II and then given a new coat of paint.

-- Rally round the Skoda! And a pocket full of extra sparkplugs. (With apologies to Rage Against the Machine)

-- Browse and buy one of a wide range of different Skodas: 1.8 liter, 2.8 L, 1.9 L, 2.0 L, petrol, diesel... the mind reals with choices. Sort of reminds me of the Ford quote: "You can get a Model T in any color, as long as it's black." In this case, switch the latter half of that for "... as long as it's a Skoda."

TECH
-- Is this impressive? The 2000 Skoda Fabia Combi Sport version: "The 1.4-litre power unit is also available in a sportier version. It develops a maximum of 74kW/101bhp. With this engine, the Combi can reach a maximum speed of 186km/h and accelerate from 0Ð100km/h in 11.6s. The average fuel consumption is 7.1l/100km." No idea whether this is good. It's in European measurements.

-- Superb indeed!