1989 Skoda Rapid 136 - reviewing the poor man's Porsche

[@stephenperry9425]

My brother's first car was an A reg 120 Rapid, I got to drive it quite a lot as we lived in the same house at the time we both loved it and drove it everywhere and in all weather conditions, it only broke down once due to a perished water hose, it had 29000 miles on it when he bought it and almost 100000 miles when he sold it, great car.

[@MrSkoda105s]

❤ great story! Thanks for sharing.

[@scotttait2197]

I agree knew someone who had one, never had any issues with it he bought it 3rd hand , no idea of milage when he sold it to one of his work mates who used it for years then gave to his son for work who had it a few more

[@grahammonk8013]

@stephenperry9425 I had an A reg Skoda, and an earlier one, don't remember the age, but it was a 4speed. That one I drove for about 4 or 6 months, 200 mile commute each way, once a week. I remember that at 70 mph it was a bit loud. I found it smoothed out and got quieter at 75, at 80 it was *really* nice, but with only a 4 speed, that was worrying. It driving it like that meant topping up the oil each 400 mile round trip, and occasionally the coolant. I started worrying about doing a service, but before I got around to it was taken out by a big Audi. I can very clearly watching the headlights approaching my drivers door and thinking "This car isn't strong enough" fortunately I was wrong, myself and passenger got out with no injuries. Well I was OK but my passenger said he got bruised ribs....Great traction in snow, but needed some care in corners, lots of fun though. Made some money on that one thanks to the other guys insurance.

[@craigkearns6425]

I remember Street Machine magazine had a customised Rapid, nitrous injected Fiat twin cam transplanted into the rear, custom paint job, cool alloys and lowered suspension. It was a pretty cool car and would still be today.

[@Micjoh]

Im fairly certain this was a mates car back in the day. I bought a 2 year old estelle for 600 quid in 1993. Brilliant in snow.

[@Yorkyscott]

Had 3 rapids 2 130s and 1 136. The handling and steering was excellent

[@skodakatie7341]

I always liked the Rapid, I had a Lada Riva back in the day, and loved it!. Sadly I missed out on the lovely 105, 120, 130, and Rapid range. Interestingly, this model came with a convertible option for the U.K. market❤.

[@Frenchcrop]

Time for my story! Back 2000-2001 I worked with a very experienced mechanic who swore by these things. He saw many during his time, and rated them highly on reliabiliy and serviceability. Just needed a bag of cement in the boot upfront!

[@golemsnatch5755]

I had one in the day and they were brilliant in the snow with all that weight over the rear wheels.

[@KidThomsonMediaProductions]

Was cool to see the comparisons to my Lada you also drove Ive entered for this one, unlikely to win twice of course, but worth a try!

[@100tallpaul]

Saw one yesterday. I drive dustcart lorries so go up and down a lot of roads and there it was just parked at the side of the road. My Nan bought one brand new in 1988. Never drove it much and think it had only done 400 miles when she sold it in 2002.

[@davejones4804]

I had a couple of them back in the day, mine had the gear lever cut down which made the gear change feel a lot better. I thrashed them about everwhere and had great fun in them. I put a big exhaust on my last one that was really loud and slay flames out the back, people could hear me from miles away!

[@listerjones]

I bought one of a work mate years ago, he'd slammed it to the floor, tuned the hell out the engine with sports exhaust etc and it went like hell!! It hit every lump in the road with the floor pans sending sparks all over the BMWs up my a**e in the outside lane at 90mph, went around roundabouts sideways perfectly and was probably one of the best fun cars I ever owed....then reverse disappeared so I had to push it backwards in parking spaces etc....eventually sold it on and it was scrapped. Wish I'd kept it and repaired the gearbox looking back now.

[@alanbuckingham8788]

I owned many Estelles and Rapids, including a convertible 136. I fitted Weber DCOEs to one of them. They are great cars in the 136 form with semi-trailing arm suspension rather than the lethal swing arm suspension of the 120 models. The 130/136 models handle brilliantly and can be run foot to the floor around country lanes. I definitely had a lot of fun in them

[@TheDarkLandsMusic]

had one of these in the early 90's, so much fun in it, with the exception of driving at speed on the M1 motorway in the wind..... a few bags of cement up front cured that 🙂

[@alanbuckingham8788]

Oh yes. I remember that fear when it was a windy day. Gusting wind and lorries overtaking were a big battle :)

[@badbusdriver7160]

There were plenty of people loved these, its just that they became the butt of jokes thanks to the like ofJasper Carrot and other comedians of the time. Yes, they were basic, but they really weren't that bad and, barring the block warping, they were pretty reliable. They actually did really well in rallying too, presumably the traction benefits of the mechanical layout helping them to punch beyond their weight. I really like them👍 Does remind me of being at technical college in the late 80's though, when I had a Lada 1600 and a friend had a Skoda Estelle😁

[@MrSkoda105s]

You know the true story. Well said.

[@julianroberts5407]

Jasper Carrott! I wonder what he thinks of Skoda's current success and latest models?

[@howardsellick8307]

I had a 1988 130GL saloon from new. I found it to be one of the most comfortable cars I've ever driven. It was such fun to drive, but the gearbox was bad....i passed my driving test in my dad's Maxi, so I was used to iccy gearchanges! I miss it 😬

[@fruitychink]

Mine was a 1976 model which had its limitations but was a n outstanding car within the limits of its handling which actually wasnt that bad when you adjusted for the oversteer . Engine was a delight to work on and it had eccentric features like the stauffer bearing on the waterpump . Used it in rural Argyll where I was a peripatetic teacher and it never let me down . Offset seating was a wee problem but honestly much maligned by a motoring press who were inherently biased

[@SW-qr8qe]

I had one, loved it. Aluminium block and an iron head with shimmed liners. Lots of head gasket failures. Eventually I fitted a Triumph Dolomite 16V .

[@borderlands6606]

The problem was the radiator was a long way from the engine, and rubber hoses were one of the few weakness of Skodas of that era. Reputedly imported rubber from China. This exacerbated the block and head difference. I always thought the Rapid was a cool looking car, like a Saab/Porsche hybrid but normies thought I was mad.

[@Alassio.Garage]

amazing car! the wheels, the engine sound... just beautiful

[@MrSkoda105s]

Bumpers in two pieces was convenient. When you had damage on one side only one half needed to be replaced. Cheaper repair. The seat upholstery isn’t original on this particular car. It came in beige or black fabric. Fabric was from a good quality. Only the color of the black upholstery faded to purple when exposed to the sun. Later versions had black fabric with white stripes. That was a weaker fabric. The middle sliding handle of the ventilation system was ment to add more or less fresh air into the cabin or totally close/block the air from outside. Thanks for your very enthusiastic presentation! Greetings from the Netherlands. By the way this car misses a lot of trims etc, makes it a bit shabby.

[@eeeandeee]

I had a yellow Skoda S110R (the forerunner of the Rapid). It was very very well built, very well equipped and if you were sensible, it was a great car to drive. A baby 911 and I'd love another one.

[@robredz]

S110R was also another good one maybe a bit more tail happy than a later Estelle or Rapid but still good for 90 mph plus. Would not put a Clio Fiesta or Corsa pilot in an R110R maybe they would be OK with a later Estelle or Rapid.

[@stevenjervis1184]

That was my second new car i ever purchased it was good fun traded in my first new car for it which was a fiat panda 45 cl

[@version736ha2]

That is very cool. To have bought one new.

[@jamieflanagan7946]

Yes I have had maybe 4 or 5 of them including a 136 Lux Cabriolet and 135 RAPID. Fun cars when I was a kid. Cornered really well and also good 4 piston brakes. I would love a White Rapid Sport!

[@martinwoodings]

i had the ESTTLE 120 and put 150,000 on it loved it wish i still had it

[@frglee]

Very nice - I had two Skoda 120Ls (the saloon version) in the 90s and they took me all over Europe for work - they were certainly quirky and a bit old fashioned, lacking power, but surprisingly solid and reliable. I did try to find a Rapid and test drove a couple of them in the mid 90s. But both had been mistreated, presumably by 'poverty spec boy racers' and left in bad condition so I gave up and upgraded to a Favorit instead. I did finally get a Skoda Rapid SE 1.2 in 2021 (a modern one) and am very happy with it. But I still dream of owning a 1980s version - the car I wanted, but never had.

[@MrSkoda105s]

They are rare nowadays and expensive, but I hope you’ll find your 1982-1984 model!

[@Popincourt-or4cf]

I owned a white Rapid (1985 model) on the Canadian Prairies in the 1990s. Its heater could not keep up with anything below around -15C. I later learned that the radiator at the front could be isolated using valves in the coolant lines so that the coolant circulated only through the heater core. That would have made a big difference. My wife hated it for being so cold, so I had my mechanic donate it to a single mother on a very modest income as soon as we could afford something better. I did love driving it. It would cruise at 130 km/h all day, and it was great in snow.

[@BerwhaleTheAvenger-b5s]

These were so underrated. The Skoda dealer in Brackley Northants did a few modified versions (head, cam, carb) and we used to set them up on the dyno. 75-80 bhp was the result and a well driven example was surprisingly brisk. Very solidly built and fun to drive.

[@Iansea1967]

I’ve driven one of these and it was a proper little rocket for a 1300. Lowered and updated springs and Spax dampers tidied up the handling as well.

[@strangeknight3751]

I learnt to drive in one of these. I remember my dad saying if you can drive this then you can drive anything 🤣

[@markpearman2631]

My youngest is driving a reliant robin and I have said the same about that

[@robgreenhill1426]

Always did well in rallies

[@niallsommerville9813]

Original Carb was I believe a Jikov. I bought a 110R new in '76, very reliable, a sticking thermostat was the only fault it ever exhibited. My mother used it as her daily car when I was away at work and I ragged it the rest of the time, very entertaining.

[@tomscott9938]

My grandfather bought his first Skoda in 1974 and stuck with the brand ever since. His final Skoda was one of these and I occasionally got to drive it as a 17 year old. The Rapid has restricted headroom and at 6'2" it was really awkward fit in as there was nowhere for my head. Not a problem I had with the Estelles. The skill with these was momentum. I found that there was a knack to getting them to go fast which was all to do with avoiding the brakes and keeping the engine in its sweet spot. BTW The gears were awful when they were new.

[@hunchanchoc8418]

The 'hip' curve over the rear wheel was the inspiration for the Audi A5. Well I say so, anyway. My dad had one - it was actually okay, to be honest. And went up snowy hills like they were bone dry.

[@nickhill2223]

Original Carbs were 'Jikov', which I think were a subsidiary of Pierburg, however the Weber would bolt straight on. Sound better with the sport exhaust on them, pipe curled round, Cherry Bomb behind the rear panel leading to a short tailpipe on offside. Drove them back in the day, never had an issue with gearchange. The Estelle was Lombard RAC Rally winners in it's class for many years running.

[@humperdidoo]

Wasn’t it the only car in its class ?

[@Iansea1967]

@@humperdidoo No, there were plenty of entries in the under 1300cc classes although they would have been private or dealer supported entries. Skoda was probably the only works team in the class although their budget was minimal compared to most works teams. The cars were lower powered than most of their competitors but reliability, good traction and good drivers meant they normally won the class. I think the works rally prepared 1200cc Skoda Estelle produced 74bhp which was about the same as a standard Ford Escort 1300 Sport.

[@ajpdaniels]

Actually, back in the 80s,this particular model was well liked by both Car magazine and Auto car - their front cover had the title "What costs £4000,handles like a Porsche and is more fun than a GTI"

[@ComeJesusChrist]

Skoda’s models were always quite desirable in the Eastern block and the Czechs were great at engineering, just consider the Tatra! I’ve never seen this generation and shape of a coupe before, though.

[@EbenBransome]

The VW Beetle ws a ripoff from Tatra, and eventually VW had to pay them royalties. It's a pity Porsche didn't also steal the Tatra rear engined V8 for the sports cars - access for maintenance is much better than on the flat engines. Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia to get control of their military technology, something the British government failed to understand, until it was too late.

[@dtuk22]

I remember the Rapid being reviewed on Top Gear. & It was really favourable review as i recall.

[@joewyatt2407]

I always thought the Rapid looked good but they got a lot of stick. A parr of automotive history worth saving

[@MegaReddevil71]

I bought a 4 door 1200 for £25 with a blown engine I fitted the 130 engine which came out of a sport it would do 100mph as it had sport conversion on the engine looks on people's faces when I overtook them. I had the chance of the adapter plate and engine mounts to fit the fiat twin cam engine but didn't do it wish I had a 😁

[@golemsnatch5755]

Someone around Stafford years ago had one of these and I'll bet it had one of these conversions cos it was mighty quick of the mark and certainly didn't sound like your ordinary Skoda.

[@datathunderstorm]

That's interesting, because I did exactly the same thing with an A reg 120 LSE Estelle (1984). Bought it with a blown engine for £30, had it towed home and eventually swapped the engine from a Skoda Rapid 130G Coupe into it. The difference in performance was relatively astonishing. The recipient Estelle in question had only 4 gears but came did have a shiny vinyl roof and a whale tail spoiler which I'd picked up at a boot sale for a quid! Had that colour coded and the car kept getting mistaken for a classic SAAB. The front grille was also changed for the aftermarket grille with extra fog lights. It was ultra reliable, and my wife eventually ended up driving it for 5 years - and handled it like a rally driver. I refurbished the interior with the interior and seats from an F Reg Skoda Estelle including the alloy wheels. I even swopped out the dashboard for the F Reg version - it was a direct fit! I was fortunate to get very rare silver metallic inserts on all the windows, further transforming its looks! Eventually, someone wrote it off when they ran up the rear of it. It still drove perfectly and I could have repaired it but it was 2004 and my wife had moved on to a Renault Clio. Insurance paid handsomely in compensation and I drove it to the Skoda dealer to be scrapped for the last time. I had to stop along the way twice, as I broke down in floods of tears at the thought of scrapping "Voyager" as I called her. I cried again as I handed over the keys to my friendly Skoda dealers at Empire Motors, West Ealing. It was easily one of the nicest cars I had ever owned. It was reliable, it turned heads wherever we went and I still miss it terribly. I also had 2 x Skoda Rapid 130G's, and an earlier Estelle 120 LSE from 1983 (codename: FOXBAT). I miss that era of budget motoring, but they ALL served me well. Each got written off in accidents (not my fault) and I always got paid out by insurance and recycled the parts in the next replacement Skoda. Great video - thanks for the nostalgia trip.

[@malcolmparis]

I had an Estelle 120. Slow, noisy & basic. But cheap as chips and surprisingly fun to drive. I admit that I miss it 😢

[@rogerking7258]

Offset pedals? Really? I've only ever "driven" one once and that was when I was pushed across the car park at work (engine was out for work). Unfortunately, I was pushed towards a wall and when I applied the brakes, nothing happened. It's amazing how loud a 5mph crash can be. Anyway, no damage, and I discovered afterwards that I'd been pressing the accelerator due to it's simply being in the "wrong" place. Have to say that the Rapid's looks have aged extremely well.

[@megamega362]

Lovely car

[@Delt1c9013]

Interesting the manual fan switch I had a 1.2 Estelle in mid 80's and found it could run hot in traffic so I fitted a a manual over ride switch for the electric , problem solved

[@andyrobertshaw9120]

My Skoda Felicia had the same engine (the 136). Didn’t set the world on fire, but moved very nicely. Never understood why people joked about the performance! Best fun I had was overtaking Mercedes Benz’s on the motorway, they wouldn’t have it, so overtook me back, and that continued!

[@moyadapne968]

Mercs, eg 230, were so low geared a Corolla could pass one on a motorway. A Skoda too.

[@Iansea1967]

My Felicia was one of the best cars I ever had and was great in the snow. No power steering meant that you could tell when conditions were slippery due to lighter steering. Brakes weren’t over assisted and the narrow tyres gripped well.

[@Pmjs]

My OH had a Škoda Rapid coupe 136. I remember taking us&my dog down to Berwick &Lindisfarne.

[@daveabbott]

I remember working on one around 1990, the hazard lights weren't working. Tried to access the wiring diagram, nothing, nada. I stripped it down and every wire was yellow!. Phoned the local dealer who said basically 'Good luck, they wire them with whatever they have in stock at the factory!' Happy days!

[@80srenaissance67]

Love the chuckles as you drove it 😂

[@oliverlotus]

What a lovely car.

[@jonny2r]

I kinda like it.

[@siwynjones]

I had two Rapids and an Estelle in the mid 90s. They were the a few hundred quid each, and low mileage, whereas other cars in that price range were usually early 80s rot boxes. One Rapid was an absolute dog, (two bloody head gaskets!) but the other two were good as gold. The Rapids were much quieter than the Estelle, which was a 105 LUX so only had a four speed box; it made your ears bleed on the motorway, although it was fine around town, and revved a lot easier. I often think about getting one for a weekend toy, but they’ve all vanished, which is a shame. The gear changes were always like stirring porridge, and you very much get used to it and all the other quirks. Good pieces of kit, miles better than the FIAT derived crap.

[@TARNTILLY]

I bought the 1st black Skoda Rapid 130 coupe in 1988 in the UK cracking car and it was written off after 2 months when a twat pulled right in front of me and the insurance company could not get me a replacement black so had to settle for a white one with a sunroof great handling car reliable 1st one was E---OPY 2nd F439SAJ

[@robredz]

Had two Estelle 120 LSE's an early one on a Y plate very comfortable drove very well as had the revised suspension was not a roll oversteer monster as much as the earlier ones would co down motorway and keep up with the Cavaliers no problem They were far better than many thought. no matter how driven, they would not drop below 35 mpg often 45 mpg plus on a run not bad for a car of that era, I would love to get a Rapid 130 its a sum far greater than the parts.

[@no.planman]

My dad bought a new 105s 4 door model as a daily - even more basic than this - for €3000. It was then converted to run on LPG (tank between back seat and the engine, quirky!), it did a fully packed trip to Scandinavia (5 people and a trailer) and was used to teach 3 kids to drive. So it's pretty reliable. And learning to drive in this meant you can drive anything!

[@davidaspden8934]

I have one running a Nova GSI engine and I love the gearbox it's really tight and precise on mine. Possibly the cables need setting up on this one you drove.

[@TomAlter1000]

There are no gear cables. It's a long metal tube that goes straight to the gearbox.

[@markpearman2631]

Had a 130 in the 90s. Fun car. Banham car's used to do a kit to convert it to a Porsche 550 spider.

[@markbowen3638]

Had a 1990 136 Rapid, in black with a few mods like a custom exhaust. Very reliable and great fun to drive. Mine had a skirt kit and slatted rear window visor. Mine had high backed seats with cloth interior, and a sports steering wheel! Wish I still had it ,quirky but great fun!

[@richardbas2948]

The first skoda rapid had an eleven-hundred cc engine! My father had one. When it was introduced into the Netherlands it was only available in one colour: oker - yellow! The front had no grill but it did have double round headlights!

[@silkdestroyer]

You might have mentioned that despite it's cheapness, the wiper stalk had a little switch on it that could vary the periods between wipes when on intermittent. That was a little feature not found on many other cars back then, especially cars around the same price point. Plus, of course, they had a great rally record. And yes, I've had one, and would have another if I came across one, (or maybe even better, an S110R.)

[@TomAlter1000]

The variable wiper intermittent speed switch wasn't on the stalk it's on the dashboard with the letter 'C' on it (čas) the Czech word for 'time'. The switch he touched in the video.

[@chrisw3771]

I nearly brought a black one of these from a local car lot in the early 90's, it was 3 years old & £600! it sold before I got there. Great, underrated little cars. A mate had a 136 4 door as his first car, brand new. After 8 months he rolled it being a dick on a country lane, the insurance didn't pay out they just gave him another new one. They were amazing in the snow, just kept going regardless.

[@craiglessels5384]

I liked these cars. From memory I think there was an adapter plate you could get to fit the Escort RS turbo engine in them

[@iloveACID]

Looks a really clean motor. 😊 nice vid 👌

[@adamlee3772]

You mention the convertible, did you know the convertible was actually a Rapid that had been imported and coachbuilt in UK? They were pretty much unique to UK. And the element in the sunshine roof is actually the radio aerial.

[@toppledgod]

Why did you think it wouldn't start? They always started, getting them to stop was the problem!

[@davidaspden8934]

Not with the later ones they had 4 pot calipers as standard.

[@DavidMaud-j4u]

One of the motoring mags at the time actually called these heaps properly dangerous due to the comedy brakes and shit handling.

[@clockdva20]

​@@DavidMaud-j4u I never encountered brake issues unless you seriously overloaded them and even then they still worked, handling was as you would expect from a rear engined car. Yes the Gears took some learning because of the length of the cable to the gear box but no difference to some of the trans axle cars I drove from that same time. I think most reviews were of course UK Motor industry bias the trashed pretty much anything not made in the UK at the time unless it was German. They trashed Cars from France Spain Italy and Japan , the latter countries cars would later kill the UK's home brands through better spec and bullet proof reliability. My Skoda never failed in any weather conditions to start unlike many of my friends UK models these days of course Skoda is under the VW banner so those days of cars being designed and built in house are long gone.

[@krazykeith6001]

I had a 1988 Estelle 130, bought at 6 years old with 1 owner and 44,000 miles, full-service history from a local garage. It only cost £100. It was brown with a black vinyl roof and I used it as a stop-gap car until it was replaced with a Cavalier when I sold it for £150. The gears were odd, when it was in 5th and you went over a bump, the gearstick would flop over to the left and end up sitting roughly where 1st gear was located, just a bit further forward. I remember the throttle cable snapped on the way home once, and I fixed it with a pair of shoelaces. The replacement cable only cost about £1.50 from the main dealer! I wish I'd kept it and made a rally replica, it was far better car than the massive mileage Cavalier that replaced it!

[@keithnewton8981]

Originally had twin exhaust tail pipes I owned several 130 136 and 135 as well a a cabro in black never had a break down did tens of thousands of miles the unlimited warranty covered break pads got to say they where a great student car

[@chethemerc7841]

We used to call MR2s poor mans Porsches. This must be the homeles mans Porsche.

[@KariM-pm9jm]

My first car was Rapid 130, that is 1.3 engine with the older cast iron head. With the siamized ports, it sounded somewhat different than this with 8-port alloy head. It was a fun first car, easy to work on and try basic modifications. Side-draught Dellorto and a grinded cam made the engine livelier but it could not pass the emissions anymore. Winter driving was interesting, mostly plowing understeer but heavy oversteer could be provoked. Never issues with the heating, it was warm enough. Good times.

[@MrMaxidc]

Estelle back in the day. Second hand 180 quid. Went everywhere, sometimes without fail lol. Blew my mind putting oil in little radiator in front lol. Didn't bother the car though lol. Exhaust gasket blowing. 400 back 1 and half yrs later... Top car, loads of fun if recognised for what it was. Basic.

[@GT380man]

The dash controls are operable while wearing anti flash gloves. How many cylinders? I think it sounds great. It’s got similar power to a Suzuki GT750 two stroke triple, but weighs 3-4 times as much. I remember overtaking cars like these, when everything on the road had a great deal less power. If the alternative was walking, it’s for me! At least you had shelter from the wet and cold. I really like the owners stories. It’s rare to get so many from people who owned one or a closely related version or car. You know what, there’s affection in every one of them. A sense of happy times and fun having been had at a time when money was so scarce that we were grateful to have transport and there was scope to tinker with them without needing a host of tools or equipment. Me, I had motorcycles all through the early years when pals had knackered cars. You got transport for very little money on two wheels, like £100 bought me my first bike, a 71 Yamaha 125 twin stroker, which was a hoot. Stepped up to a 72 Yamaha 250 twin and made strenuous efforts to kill myself or get jailed in the attempt (failing at both, fortunately). I was skint all the time, sometimes having to choose between eating on Thursday night or putting a gallon or two of 2 star in the bike, so as to get to work and my tiny pay packet (in cash) on the Friday. “We were poor, but we was ‘appy”. I was, actually. I don’t remember worrying about anything except if it was going to rain tomorrow (yes) and looking forward to seeing my pals and girlfriend. Simple times have upsides. Would I go back to such a life, if I could? Probably not. Materially, life is incomparably better. Happier now? Honestly, no. Then again, I’ve mostly been an even keel kind of person. Thank you very much for reviewing this car. I found it one of the most affectionate bits of automotive looking back.

[@Michel-r6m]

Never owned a Skoda but certainly have a weakspot for these cars 🤠

[@lewis72]

When these were current, the coupé, as you say, was quite rare. Most couldn't see the point of a sporty coupé from a real budget manufacturer. The saloons weren't seen as anything special. Bargain basement motoring that wasn't that well built and not that wonderful to drive. I get the nostalgi for them now and I would like to won one but back in the '80s, car technology was moving fast-ish and people were after the latest trends & developments in car design e.g. ABS, 4 valves/cylinder, FWD hatchback, fuel injection etc.

[@siwynjones]

Oh, you mentioned Alfa: put a Rapid next to a two-door Alfasud, and there are loads of styling similarities, especially the front wings. And the 136 seats had the Doppler-effect pattern on them originally in black and white, which was looked great new, but shit after a few years.

[@davidmyers5545]

I had one of these. Cost £1500 in 93 for a 4 year old model. It was ok, nice little runner but i had a few problems with it. The master cylinder blew when i was driving, complete brake failure, plus it had a tendency to overheat in warm weather. Plus I nearly lost control on the M1 motorway where there is a big curve around Sheffield, I could feel the back end going so i had to slow right down

[@roversteve8772]

Looks like you had Great fun , what mote can you ask from a cheap coupe a cute little car.

[@felipesancho]

I feel it tries to look like a Saab.. I love it!

[@buxvan]

I always thought that the Coupe was a lovely looking motor.

[@moyadapne968]

In the '60s I worked on Skoda 1100 MBs at a VW agency. They did everything better than a VW.

[@DA-dw5zn]

I passed my test in 1986 & Skodas were always advertised in auto mart. They were dirt cheap & I liked the look of them, particularly the 110r coupe. But which teenager would buy a Skoda. Just another entry in the very large missed opportunity file.

[@eddiejones.redvees]

There was a norther choice of car, the Wartburg which my father chosen to buy after my uncle brought his four him to look at my dad bought his a few weeks later brand new in orange it was a great car my dad eye sight started to fail so he gave the car to me I had it for a few years and took it to 150.000 miles with very little problems but the cost of fuel was getting higher and it was not now very fuel efficient, so I traded it in for a Vauxhall viva HC which rust away and was not now less reliable then the Wartburg my son-in-law has a Skoda superb estate 2.0L estate which is a great car

[@clockdva20]

Yes the engine is a rev monster. As I stated in another, twin chock carbs were a standard fitting, I also read in an article about the Skoda UK rally team that both bigger valves and sports cams were stock items, legend tells that in the event of broken parts the works rally team would just go to the local scrap yards and remove the parts they required. In another tuning article in Car and Car conversions they went through how to build a group N spec car and that I think in the end was way under 900 kg and over 120+ BHP with a different Carb Cam and some valve and port work and exhaust changes. Quick enough to embarrass much higher priced cars.

[@christophercutajar4020]

They were shuned and loughed at but.... No one loughed at then when they saw them wining on the rally stages...

[@eggy1962]

Gears were fine , yes long travel ,central sprung ie straight up from rest is 3rd.

[@TheSimonhammond]

Wrote off one of these with my Mk2 Escort in December 1996 in Winnersh.

[@robertwillis4061]

That centre console isn't standard. They can be lowered needs shorter springs Ported head and a weber carp. Tubular manifold and larger bore exhaust. Get stainless steel pipes for the coolant to the front radiator - the Aluminium ones fir up and get blocked. There used to be available a raised spoiler that fitted off another make. I think it was a off a Ford Escort. 14" Alloys and bigger brakes. I think the calipers off Ford Sierras fitted. The brake pads for them and early Felicias were the same. Not sure about the discs but 9" were the ones. Chip spoiler to limit front end lift at higher speeds. And keep an overinflated spare. It could save your live in the even of a head-on crash

[@UKAbandonedMineExplores]

My parents went to eee one new, came out of the showroom saying that it looked hand painted. Bought a new fiesta instead. That was in 89 too.

[@Pinzpilot101]

I almost bought........the old model Rapid in 1980...on the way to buy it I saw a 75 Marina TC in very good condition, low miles for way less and had a couple of weeks in a plush hotel in Malta with the saved money.

[@andyc750]

had one for a while, a lot better car than most realised and with a bit of simple tuning it would overtake flat out the rep's favorite car the mk 1 Vectra 1.6 and they couldn't catch me, great fun on the M11 doing that to work and back every day, it broke down once due to a water pipe clamp coming off, filled it up from a stream and away I went, no harm done

[@clockdva20]

I had the earlier 70's Rapid RS I would not give Skoda a hard time, their Cars were very successful at Rallying both in Group 4 and Group B they always won their classes. In fact their cars came with disc brakes at the front drums rear , full independent front wishbone suspension with trailing arm rear suspension. Twin chock carbs even the engines had big valves and high lift cams. The engines gave about 70 bhp from what I remember which is not much different to a Escort of the same time in the up to 1600 class . So if you subtract the bhp loss due to the prop shaft and half shafts on a RWD Escort compared to the minimum loss from the rear mounted Skoda's engine and half shafts that I think were also of equal length to , add to that they were stupidly lightweight also 185 tires alloy wheels spotlights and a full dash with Tacho and volts and oil pressure, mine never skipped a beat I had only three minor issues a snapped throttles cable , a carb gasket failure and one snapped fan belt. You could really throw them around on twist roads , yes of course like all rear engine cars you have to be careful on corner entry speeds and braking to avoid under steering or snap oversteering. I found them a lot of fun to drive yes not a massive amount of power compared to today's cars but most cars were the same in those days. Still to this day it was one of the best value to fun cars I owned simple to keep running drove well and started all year around. Unlike many of it more expensive British brands of the same period and cheap to insure back in a time were insuring a car above 1300 was mega money for most under the age of 30 trying to live on a normal wage. I tried many of my friends Fiat's Alfa's and Fords out they had the good points and bad points but I would not say any were any better or worse compared, Skoda was just label with that cheap poor man's car from the east label especially with the standard looking models to were the brunt of the joke. The fact was they were solid cars if you looked after them.

[@Delex9]

If memory serves me right, the passenger door mirror was an optional "extra". You could get them from Halfords and put them on yourself.

[@mr.carguy654]

The reason the from end is so tall on these and the 120 (estelle) is because Skoda wanted it to be a front engined car and developed it to be one. However the Czechoslovak government didn't allow it or fund it so Skoda was stuck with a front engine design for a rear engined car. This was a happy accident for boot space but detrimental to the overall looks.

[@brianwillis9673]

I nearly bought one of these in the mid eighties. So glad I didn't.

[@SimonWallwork]

What a plug!

[@kenhampshire9917]

Definitely the best built of all the commie cars. Main reason they were the subject of jokes was because they were very outdated in the 80's being based on the 60s Renault 8. Still far better than any Lada, FSO or Yugo and Skoda has a proud heritage.

[@trebsscan9644]

When they said the skoda was crap they were not joking...I drove one in the 90s for 3.5 minutes too long.. I normally test drive a car and get to know the car a little bit... I test drove one and had to give it back to the owner to carry on driving.. its hard to explain how demotivated I became when I tested it... I dont want to convince people how bad it was... try one for your self.. the ones post 2010 are excellent and driven a fair few... yes they are VWs in disguise but they are good...in saying that. I still think those mid 80s skodas did look good visually

[@DavidJohnston58]

Had new one for 2 years and loved it. Spent an extra £500 on engine work to lessen the shame at traffic lights😂 Wanted a reliable work car that wasn't too showy for 5am starts and general run around. Do not recall the gears having that much throw and seats were cloth (nylon😂) Stood up to punishment but not an armoured vehicle entering the engine compartment when stationary.😮 Surprised it was repaired but it was, as was I. Flogged it soon after as business was doing great for a more useful Astra van for work and Astra Gte for pleasure. Loved the Skoda though

[@GSimpsonOAM]

My car in the 80's was a FIAT 850 Sport. This would have been a similar drive.

[@neilsmith1502]

Had one from new F432UVT, baffled Skoda with 3 or 4 replacement cylinder heads inside of (I think) 6 months to the point they bought it back (bit more complicated, but essentially what happened). Wrote to me a while later saying it was a faulty fusebox. When it worked it was fun to drive, mostly, but did any other owners have to constantly clean that oily film off the inside of the rear window?

[@jrice610]

Wanted a Fiesta in 1983,parents forced this disaster on me. Ah yes, blown head gasket.

[@aymiljohn]

Interesting

[@chrisplace9773]

Cant believe you got to drive it alot. I had one and spent more time pushing the thing.

[@jaytoppo1670]

As much as I laughed at the jokes, the Skoda rapid did it's job. Very popular car in Europe still especially for rally privateers etc..

[@16jan1986]

In Denmark the coupe was also called the poor mans Porsche