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Mladá Boleslav, 03 September 2014 – Three outstanding ŠKODA classics are celebrating their 80th anniversary this year: The ŠKODA Popular, ŠKODA Rapid and ŠKODA Superb. The attractive trio laid the foundation stone in 1934 for ŠKODA's rise to becoming the best-selling brand on the Czechoslovakian home market and a recognised car brand throughout Europe in the 1930s. In their time, the vehicles set standards in technology, design and value for money.

The manufacturer introduced three vehicles within a few months of each other – a true model campaign. The new releases from Mladá Boleslav with innovative design solutions were greeted enthusiastically: replacing the former lead frame, all three models featured a modern central-tube frame. Additionally, ŠKODA introduced individual wheel suspension, followed in 1937 by modern OHV engines with overhead valves.

The vehicle trio gave the brand a powerful boost. Selling around 3,000 vehicles in 1936, ŠKODA became the number one carmaker for the first time in what was then Czechoslovakia. ŠKODA also achieved considerable success on the export market.

ŠKODA Popular: The bestseller from Mladá Boleslav

The ŠKODA Popular, which celebrated its premiere in February 1934, was the first ŠKODA model to receive a proper name in addition to a numerical designation. The name lived up to what it promised. The lightweight and low-cost model was an extremely popular vehicle, fulfilling the long-awaited dream for a car of a broad range of consumers, and was a real 'people's car'. The four-seater was available as a saloon, as the two-door convertible 'Tudor', and as a semi-convertible, plus there was a two-seater roadster version and a van variant.

The two-door small car, introduced as the ŠKODA 418 Popular, was powered by a 18 hp engine with a 903 cc displacement. A larger four-cylinder engine with 995 cc displacement and 20 hp followed later that same year (ŠKODA 420 Popular). In 1937, the model received a new four-cylinder engine with 27 hp and modern overhead valves (ŠKODA Popular OHV), reaching an impressive top speed of 100 km/h. The ŠKODA Popular 1100 OHV followed in 1938 with 1,089 cc displacement and 30 hp, in 1940, the ŠKODA Popular 1101 with 32 hp and many other engine variants.

The ŠKODA Popular quickly became the best-selling automobile in what was then Czechoslovakia. Between 1934 and 1946, ŠKODA sold over 20,000 ŠKODA Populars, of which a remarkable 6,000 were exported to 50 other countries. The small car was not only exported to European markets but also found its way overseas, including countries such as China, India, as well as African and South American countries.

A major reason for the great popularity of the Popular was its reliability. With numerous long-distance journeys, ŠKODA boosted the reputation of the vehicle as a particularly robust and versatile model. In the May of 1934, seven young people undertook an expedition from Prague to Calcutta, covering around 11,000 kilometres without a single technical failure. The original photographs of the trip can be seen today at the ŠKODA Museum in Mladá Boleslav. Additional reliability trials followed, among others, the 1936 USA-Mexico trip of Mr. and Mrs. Elstner: under the motto '100 days in the small car', they covered just under 25,000 kilometres in a ŠKODA Popular.

The Popular even showed what it was made of on the rally circuit. In January 1936, Zdenek Pohl and Jaroslav Hausman took part in the famous Monte Carlo Rally with a two-seater Roadster version of the ŠKODA Popular Sport. Right off the bat, the Popular landed second place in its displacement-class and twelfth place overall. Encouraged by their rallying success, the brand presented several particularly sporty models under the name ŠKODA Popular Sport 'Monte Carlo', 70 of which were built between 1936 and 1938 as a roadster version and as streamlined coupé. An example can be found today in the ŠKODA Museum's collection.

ŠKODA Rapid: Success in the mid-class

The ŠKODA Rapid also celebrated its premiere in 1934. As the big brother of the Popular, the ŠKODA Rapid was a new type of mid-class. Under the bonnet you could find a four-cylinder engine with a 1,195 cc displacement and 26 hp. The vehicles of the first series were available as the two-door Tudor, four-door saloon and two-door semi-convertible. The most produced version had a 1,386 cc engine, and the strongest model, which was produced until 1947, had 2,198 cc. ŠKODA sold almost 7,000 Rapids.

The ŠKODA Rapid also demonstrated its skill in many areas, including reliability trials. In 1936 Břetislavova Prohazka, the then Director of the Czechoslovak automobile club, circumnavigated the globe in only 97 days in a ŠKODA Rapid with his friend Kubias. Their route took them through Russia and Persia, over the Indian desert, then they passed through China and Japan and boarded a boat to the USA. They also took a ship from New York back to Europe. The pair drove over the continent with the Rapid on its own axles.

The new ŠKODA Rapid 1500 OHV celebrated its debut alongside the ŠKODA Popular 1100 OHV in the summer of 1938. The vehicle had a four-cylinder engine with 1,558 cc and 42 hp.

ŠKODA Superb: Automobile luxury

The manufacturer celebrated the brilliant culmination of an eventful year by presenting the ŠKODA 640 Superb at the end of 1934. Series production started in March 1935. From then on, the name Superb was synonymous with very high-class cars from Mladá Boleslav.

600 of the ŠKODA Superb had been produced for the civilian market by 1949. The best-selling version was the four-door limousine with six side windows. A four-door saloon version and a convertible were also offered.

The 5.5 metre long ŠKODA 640 Superb was powered by a 55 hp straight six-cylinder with 2,492 cc. The vehicle also featured a modern four-speed transmission. Passengers were very comfortable on the road thanks to the transverse leaf springs over the rear axle. The Superb was also the first ŠKODA to feature a hydraulic brake system.

The overhead valve (OHV) system was used in the Superb from 1938. The modernized ŠKODA Superb 3000 was powered by a straight six-cylinder engine with an output of 80 hp, reaching speeds of up to 120 km/h. ŠKODA Superb 4000 with the engine 3.991 cc followed.

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