Laurin & Klement / Škoda 120 Years of Success

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On an adventure behind the wheel

Long-distance endurance

journeys with ŠKODA vehicles

At the start of the 20

th

  century,  the  automobile 

became a symbol for freedom, speed and individual 

independence. Even in the early days of the auto-

mobile,  brave  adventurers  on  four  wheels  made 

their way to faraway destinations, looking for spe-

cial  challenges,  under  extreme  climatic  conditions 

and sometimes far from civilisation. L&K and ŠKODA 

vehicles became reliable companions for countless 

enthusiasts with wanderlust and made positive 

headlines at various long-distances events.

Early on, L&K vehicles proved themselves worthy on 

endurance journeys. High-tech made in Bohemia and 

Czechia, even back then this meant never breaking 

down under extreme conditions and keeping relia-

bility on your side. The challenging long journeys 

were excellent advertising for the vehicles from Mladá 

Boleslav. Early export success of the brand showed 

that the long-distance journeys continued to expand 

the good reputation of the brand abroad.

In October 1907, the luxurious L&K Type FF convertible 

completed a successful journey across Europe from 

Bohemia  to  Paris  and  back  —  powered  by  the  first 

eight-cylinder engine in Central Europe. The successful 

Alpine journeys by Count Alexander Kolowrat were also 

impressive. In the L&K cars he won the app. 2,000 km 

race several times.

In May 1934, seven students made their way from 

Prague to Calcutta with four ŠKODA Populars. The 

route went across high mountain passes and desert 

regions, through mud and rough terrain. They were 

stuck  in  a  sandstorm  in  the  Registan  desert  for  five 

days. The students covered a total of 15,000 km in the 

Popular without any technical faults to speak of. Four 

months after setting off, their return was celebrated 

with great enthusiasm in Prague. A great advert for 

the high quality of the ŠKODA Popular.

Then, in 1936, there was another endurance journey 

in the ŠKODA Popular: Mr and Mrs Elstner completed 

a huge round-trip through the USA, continuing from 

there to Mexico. They successfully covered almost 

25,000 km in 47 days. Even the Czech writer Karel 

Čapek  undertook  various  challenging  expeditions  to 

the Alps with his two ŠKODA vehicles. In the summer 

of 1936, Břetislav Jan Procházka circumnavigated the 

globe with a ŠKODA Rapid in just 97 days. On that 

journey, he travelled from San Francisco to New York 

in 100 hours.

During the Second World War and the subsequent 

Cold War, the freedom to travel was restricted for 

ŠKODA vehicles. Nonetheless, there was a successful 

expedition to the source of the Niger in a ŠKODA 440, 

which helped to more precisely determine the loca-

tion of the river.

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In October 1907, the Laurin & Klement FF 

completed the journey from Prague to Paris and 

back — powered by the first Central European 

eight-cylinder engine.

As part of the development of the new Superb 

type, the predecessor model ŠKODA 637 was 

sent on a journey to Africa (photo from Verdun, 

France).

Marital bliss behind the wheel: on their journey 

across the USA and Central America in the 

1930s, Mr and Mrs Elstner drove an average of 

more than 500 km per day.

No problem for the ŠKODA Popular: the newly 

opened Grossglockner High Alpine Road in 

Austria (1935).

In the period before the First World War, 

hundreds of vehicles from Mladá Boleslav were 

already on the road in the Russian Empire. 

Along with private vehicles, they were also 

taxis and long-distance buses.

In 1934, seven students drove 15,000 km 

through mud and deserts from Prague to 

Calcutta in four ŠKODA Populars.

Even during the Second World War and Cold 

War, ŠKODA vehicles completed challenging 

adventure journeys. An expedition in the 

ŠKODA 440 helped to more precisely 

determine the source of the Niger river.

Record journey in the summer of 1936: just 

97 days to circumnavigate the globe in 

a ŠKODA Rapid.

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The  120-year  ŠKODA  history  is  characterised  by 

countless  automotive  milestones  —  outstanding 

vehicles,  offering  advanced  technology  and  great 

customer benefits at the same time as the highest 

levels  of  functionality,  design  and  aesthetics.  The 

products described in the following characterised the 

outstanding reputation of the brand until the end of 

the Second World War in a special way.

1895—1905:  

Slavia Bicycles

As enthusiastic ‘velocipedists’ 

and patriots, at the end of 1895, 

Václav Laurin and Václav Klement 

decided to turn their passion 

into a career and to produce 

bicycles under the brand name 

‘Slavia’. The new brand rapidly 

became synonymous with 

quality and innovation made in 

Czechia — and the various bike 

models convinced more and more 

customers.

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1899—1910:  

Laurin & Klement Motorcycles

From 1899, motorcycles became 

the second pillar of the young 

company L&K. The flourishing 

bicycle production was extended 

with one, two and four-cylinder 

motorcycles of their own design. 

The L&K machines had rear-

wheel drive. Alongside passenger 

motorcycles, there were also 

goods tricycles. The motorcycles 

from Mladá Boleslav were highly 

sought after, not only in their 

Bohemian homeland, but abroad 

as well.

1905:  

Laurin & Klement Voiturette A

Spurred by their rapid rise, in 

1905, L&K presented the com-

pany’s first automobile: the 

two-seater Voiturette Type A. 

The vehicle impressed with its 

good price (3,600 crowns) as well 

as its high level of practicality 

and robustness. The two-cylinder 

V engine with 7 PS performance 

and a capacity of 1,005 cm

3

 accel-

erated the automobile, weighing 

just about 600 kg, to a top speed 

of 40 km/h. The three-speed 

gearbox and the modern car-

burettor of their own design 

ensured a high level of efficiency 

and excellent climbing capability 

in the mountains.

1907:  

Laurin & Klement Type FF

The L&K Type FF was powered by 

one of the world’s first eight-

cylinder engines. The power 

train had a remarkable capacity 

of 4.9 litres and a performance 

of 45 PS. The top speed was 

85 km/h. The L&K FF proved its 

high level of capability on the 

long-distance return journey from 

Bohemia to Paris. Subsequently, 

more vehicle types with eight-

cylinder engines were built in 

Mladá Boleslav.

1911:  

Laurin & Klement Type S

Just a few years after the debut 

of the Voiturette A, the L&K 

range was expanded by more 

powerful and more comfortable 

four-cylinder models. The S series 

developed into a perennial 

favourite between 1911 and 1925. 

Various versions were on offer, 

including the ‘Carlsbad’ saloon, 

the ‘Cavalier’ double saloon, the 

‘Doctor’ or ‘Lady’ coupé, or the 

‘Progress’ pick-up van.

1917:  

Laurin & Klement Type MF

The modern L&K Type MF fire 

engine is representative of the 

numerous commercial vehicles 

from the rich history of the brand. 

They all had the highest level 

of robustness and reliability in 

common.

From the bicycle to the Superb luxury car

The most important

models up to 1945

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