Ep. 26 World Tour: The History of the Czech Car Industry

[@miguelpl22]

Loudest things in the world: Bullet bangs Explosions Whales Ed’s Auto Reviews intro

[@llmkursk8254]

While I personally am not a Czech citizen, I do feel there could’ve been a footnote for the times Skoda took their cars rallying. While they weren’t the fastest, they still showed up to international events, with notable examples in the Skoda 130 LR, 130 RS, and Octavia. There was even a car developed for the stillborn Group S, the proposed replacement for Group B rally. The prototype went on to race in rallycross (iirc). While not that important, it’s still interesting to note.

[@YBM2007]

I wish Skoda Motorsport would return to WRC fulltime. All about supporting privateer teams these days, sadly.

[@gallendugall8913]

@L E S D A 💥 Are they talking about cars?

[@kc1423]

Cheers! I love rallying and did not know this.

[@crustycurmudgeon2182]

@LLM Kursk Well said, Mr. Kursk!. Your allusion to "the stillborn Group S" was particularly enlightening, though I'm imagining that the "prototype [that] went on to race in rallycross (iirc)" was some aberrant growth on the carcass that somehow had a heartbeat beyond the burial of the host? Or... The engineering group just said "F**k it, let's enter this test tube anomaly in some races!"

[@gord307]

A good point. Skoda did exceptionally well rallying, despite having a very tight rallying budget and low-cost family cars. Skoda regularly won their class in the RAC rallies, had a very high completing percentage, and often beat much more powerful vehicles.

[@jakekaywell5972]

If I ever possess "f**k you" levels of money, the Tatra T87 would be at the top of my list. A true mechanical marvel with a bit of maleficence added for flavor! Chief designer Hans Ledwinka, an Austrian weirdly enough, penned the bodywork in 1936 with this flowing, zeppelin-esque fashion for one reason: low drag coefficients. In fact, with a rating of 0.36, it had a record that stood for several decades! The distinctive fin on the rear of the car (which is reminiscent of a shark) was placed there in order to force air onto the sides of the car when it is in motion, thus helping to keep it stable on the road. At least, that was the idea. It soon earned the nickname “the Czech secret weapon” by a few clever pundits as so many Nazi officers were killed by the T87 during WWII that the Oberkommando (high command) of the Whermacht eventually had to ban its officers from driving it. Der Teufel! The power delivery system in the T87 certainly did not facilitate exceptional road manners either. It had a 2.9 liter air-cooled V8 with a 90° cylinder bank mounted in the rear underneath a massive cowling worthy of a dirigible. With all 85 horsepower being sent directly to the rear wheels, the handling issues I waxed on about are a lot more palpable. However, this engine and car is still brilliant due to how unyieldingly efficient it was. The T87 was competing against luxury machines with more than twice the engine volume, and yet, it was able to cruise smoothly at nearly 100 mph (160 km/h) with an equally impressive fuel consumption of up to 18.8 mpg. This did not go unnoticed by other manufacturers. In fact, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche was so heavily influenced by this car (which lasted until 1950) and the later T97 for the iconic Volkswagen that he was sued by Tatra. It was a protracted battle with many legal and moral pitfalls, but eventually, Tatra prevailed in 1961 with three million deutschmarks in compensation. Such a lofty position could not be maintained indefinitely, however, and Tatra ceased car production in 1999, although they do still make heavy trucks. Quite a fall from grace, yes?

[@Czechbound]

There is a yellow and white one that I see at all the big classic car events. The best event to see it driving fast is the meetup in the 1st weekend in September every year in Zbraslav, a suburb of Prague.

[@EdsAutoReviews]

Thanks for adding the extra detailed information about the Tatra, I too started to fall in love as soon as I read about it. Truly a marvelous machine!

[@MrToradragon]

The Tatra had started as producer of railway carriages, locomotives and motor coaches (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ČSD_Class_M_290.0), so I would not call that fall from grace, especially as it had retained that unique design which outperforms most, if not all, other trucks in ability to go through terrain.

[@martinwalker8569]

then buy Tatra 603 or 613 from 8000 euro you can have, 30 years ago they were almost for free, there is also Felicia from 60' and not many people know, prices are growing

[@NazriB]

Lies again? CDG Zig

[@matt.5470]

Really hope that the next one is Brazil's car industry

[@CarWavExe]

be super fun

[@deividsantos9220]

Please Please Please! VW Brasília VW SP2 FORD Corcel

[@mattw8332]

Brazil would be an interesting one for sure.

[@lucas0646]

Gurgel e troller

[@wanderinggentile]

Fiat 147/Uno. Not the Italian uno.

[@Ballin4Vengeance]

The first gen of their current models from the late 90’s (Fabia, Octavia and Superb) are legendary. Like a lot of 90’s/00’s cars they’re the perfect mix of just enough electronics to simplify your life(electronic windows or adjustable mirrors) and simple enough to maintain at home without the need to go to an authorized service because your car’s computer decides something is wrong with it. And they had replacable radios, meaning they’re basically infinitely upgradable.

[@jakekaywell5972]

Positively lovely video on a criminally underappreciated car-making nation. Many thanks!

[@yuvegotmale]

In the early 60s my dad had 3 Skoda Octavia's, they were imported to San Francisco. A college student at Berkley had them and got them to Wash State where my dad ended up with them. One was totaled and was a parts donor for the other 2. Dad was a great mechanic and was able to keep them going into the early 70s. It was a odd little car...no one had a clue as to what they were. I drove it quite a bit as a kid...it had 4 on the column. One can be seen identical to it in the movie North by North West with Carry Grant. In the beginning of the movie Grant gets into a red and yellow for taxi. In the rear window shot you can see a Skoda Octavia following them through the streets of New York for a bit, its the same gray color with blue bottom trim. The old man always said if we get invaded by the USSR they will think he is a good Comrade and will not send him to a Siberian slave labor camp. I had a VHS tape of the Hitchcock movie and won a lot of bets betting that no one could name the car following them ......no one ever won the bet. I swear he had to have the only Skodas in the country.....well most of them anyways.

[@martinwalker8569]

base of old octavia (1200) was exported to New Zeeland where they were making Skoda Treka firstc Skoda suv, never made anywhere elso, definitelly not in our own country, this car is also supposed to be only one car produced by New Zeeland - as a country, we are saying and using our houmour, Skoda Felicia and Octavia were advertised in early 60's with miss of the USA ! - somebody heard she was travelling and she was in the moment in CSSR then immediatelly took cars and asked her with taking few pictures with it there was also limited vagon version of Octavia inside almost like van, bigger,like your chevrolet or chrysler (7 seat big car) this has only one big door, in our country were long in production for health system purposes, suprisingly emergency lights and sound buttons on dashboard =are betterg made in this old the new cars new Octavias are technically liftbacks os vw golf /A4 with different look, by same slovakian designer who made Bugatti Veyron, this is what i know

[@dvanerdivkanade]

As a Czech, I extremely honour the fact that you put the industries into the correct historical context. Well made 👏👍

[@kruinnbogdoir3661]

Jawa is actually well known in russia for their motocycles made in 70-s and 80-s, so they didn't shut down for sure but changed a subject

[@kruinnbogdoir3661]

I would say more, there is song about Jawa bike made by 90-s russian punk band Sektor Gaza (kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHebpqB9f86Ufc0)

[@johnd8892]

Even in Australia Jawa carved out a niche as a high performance racing dirt bike for a while. Heard of and seen the motorcycles but not the cars.

[@MrJonas7]

Praga also made trucks for years and wasn't shut down. Nowadays they make some great racing vehicles.

[@BSMikkel]

3 times danish speedway world champion, Ole Olsen, was riding almost exclusively Jawa.

[@torstikinnunen3801]

Jawa is still around at least as a brand, making 300cc motorcycles. The company is owned by Indian Mahindra Group.

[@petrzeman1068]

This is the best thing this year so far! Thank you! Minor correction tho, Czechoslovakia didn't become ČSSR until 1960. Only thing I missed was that you could've said more about Favorit, because it was the car that saved Škoda, wouldn't be where it is withnout it.

[@mariozetik]

That is right! When Volkswagen was looking for some cheaper carmaker in ex comecon countries, they look at their latest products. Almost new Skoda Favorit (switching revolutionary from rear engined 120L to front wheel drive) was modern, well made and technically pretty advanced for poor country possibilities. Compared to Polish Polonez dated to 60", horribly made Romanian Dacia already rusted at production lines and problematic Oltcit (developed by Citroen, but they will forget it). Even Tatra 613 was technical masterpiece: DOHC belt driven distribution, aircooled V8 3,5L/4,4L over (not behind) rear axle, design by Vignale Italy, etc. But yes, when presented on the market in mid 70". After 20 years of production and velvet revolution it was horribly obsolete and poorly equipped - compared to Mercedes-Benz S class and BMW 7 not attractive at all. One notice, Tatra was one of the first carmakers in the world, that is valid also for trucks, of course after Daimler and Benz companies in Germany. Second notice, Laurin and Klement is now Skoda-Auto. Long history short: Laurin and Klement need money to make company greater, so they agree to, in those times already big Skoda company, to hide under.

[@tedmarakas2626]

@@mariozetik Thank you for the history lesson. Today I learned something new.

[@Blaa_Boi]

My family have had 7 Skoda's. The first was a new Felicia Estate in '96, and I remember neighbours joking at the time why my dad would buy such a brand. Skoda jokes were popular in Ireland/UK as Czechia was still turning things round after decades of Communism. Today I have a '21 Octavia sitting in my drive, my fourth in fact, and in Ireland Skoda is a top 4 manufacturer by sales, and the once popular jokes are well and truly buried.

[@SkywalkerTibor]

Felicia Estate = Forman

[@uzivatel56]

@Max Mullets It's customary for wealthy-ish folks to get new car every 5 years or so. 5 years is also a planned lifespan of a passenger car.

[@BSMikkel]

@Max Mullets So, you only change cars when they break?

[@4ever242]

@@uzivatel56 LOL, are you ready?

[@franeklada1210]

i’m really willing to see more Eastern Block car stories, these are always interesting

[@EdsAutoReviews]

Oh more to come, don't worry!

[@Theover4000]

As an American, I got to see a Tatra in a museum of modern art as part of a “cars are art” exhibition and it enamored me. The Czechs really know how to make a pretty car.

[@uncinarynin]

Škoda was a big conglomerate making a lot of things from cars to locomotives, power plants, steel and manufacturing machinery. It was divided up into a number of different companies, the best known thereof are green Škoda Auto making cars, belonging to the VW group, and blue Škoda Transportation making railways, owned by PPF, a Czech investment group. They both share the same name and winged arrow logo, one in green and one in blue, but have no other connection to each other. By a mutual agreement they can use the same brand in their respective market segments for an unlimited time. A czech friend of mine used to have an old rear-engine Škoda car, which was great at making noise and smoke, but not powerful or comfortable. I felt rather peculiar in it. But today Škoda cars are known for making most of the platforms the VW group has to offer. For example the Octavia is based on the same platform as the VW Golf, but offers more space, more features. Likewise the Superb makes the most of the same platform the VW Passat is using.

[@AlejjSi]

The Skoda Works have been split up after being nationalised after the war in 1945. Later, when communists took over, the companies got some true communist names aswell. The original Pilsen Skoda works received the name ZVIL - Závody V.I.Lenina (VI Lenin Works), the car manufacture in Mladá Boleslav was called AZNP - Automobilové Závody Národní Podnik (Car Manufacture National Company). After the war, both companies shared the same logo, but since 1994, when the Skoda Felicia was introduced, Skoda Mladá Boleslav had to use a different logo, which was changed slightly and the green leaves around it were added.

[@votekyle3000]

The V570 immediately made me think of the beetle, and I’m not surprised it directly inspired it.

[@indiekiddrugpatrol3117]

Tatra won a lawsuit against Volkswagen for copying the design after WW2

[@KurtCHose-uw2ux]

10:53 the VW Beetle for sure was not imported from the GDR, since it was produced in the FRG

[@uzivatel56]

DKW would have been more fitting.

[@maxart3392]

@@uzivatel56 No. It would eventually become Audi.

[@uzivatel56]

@@maxart3392 Yes and no. DKW was produced in both East and West Germany. It would become IFA in the east.

[@jancizek1200]

Greetings from Czechia. Thanks for great, great video, I have just one remark - I think you massively underestimated the importance of Skoda Favorit. Favorit ain't just something between 120 and Felicia, Favorit is the car which saved Skoda. Yes, its design was bit to square for the time. Yes, interior is plain and cheap. Yes, its OHV engine was dated. And there were more flaws. But car was roomy, it had fine handling and good value for price, so it was somehow competetive with western car production. Moreover "party and goverment" put some serious investments (in terms of ineffcient planned economy) in its production, meaning whole production factory in Mladá Boleslav was considerably modernized. I'm quite sure that if there was no Favorit, Skoda would share the fate with e.g. Polish automakers - it would be bought by some western company to produce their models but it would end as a brand.

[@catriona_drummond]

I agree, he is painting that chapter a bit too dark. When this thing came out we looked at it and exclaimed: "OMG that looks like a western car!" The eastern block had nothing quite like it until then. Me, from East Germany would also not say that noone wanted a Skoda and that they were the worst. That title DEFINITELY goes to the awful 2 stroke, basically 1950's tech cars that the GDR still made at that point. Having a Skoda here, and even having a 120 put you miles above the average. And I fully agree, the Felicia proves that the Favorit was a solid and modern enough platform to work from. Only Skoda had that.

[@MrJonas7]

Yep, he also said that Felicia was revolutionary, whit it wasn't. Favorit was... Felicia was just a facelift.

[@jonathangriffin1120]

@@catriona_drummond I had a '94 Skoda Favorit GLXiE estate in 2003, it lasted until 2010 when structural corrosion and coolant getting past the wet liners made further repair uneconomical, i used to call it 'The Tardis' after the BBC television sci-fi series 'Dr; Who' which features an intergalactic time machine of that name which was much bigger inside than outside, that little Favvy could haul an incredible amount of stuff. It was replaced by a 1.9 SDi Felicia estate which also gave excellent service until the dreaded 'tin worm' sent that to the 'Showroom in the Sky'. I then bought an '05 Fabia which was basically a re-badged VW Polo but lacked the character and practicality of the two previous Skodas which I think of as 'proper' Skodas!

[@EdsAutoReviews]

More people have commented on this, so my sincere apologies when I regard some cars as a simple footnote in the grand scheme of things, while they turn out to be major turning points in history!

[@leopool1665]

And was designed by Bertone, well-known from other brands like Citroen and the like. Made as hatchback, Forman stationcar, Pickup and the odd-looking FormanPlus. Engine up front, and value-for-money...

[@altaccout]

I cant wait for the Polish car industry episode.

[@xniorvox]

I'm afraid there is not much to talk about comparing to Czech. There were no successful, game changing, very solid or bravely designed Polish cars. No wonder - when Czechoslovakia was developing the industry, the Poles have fought the Soviet Army and tried to rebuild the country after the war. And then the second war and communism came.

[@wildman510]

@@xniorvox yeah most of them were just generic cars but polishized and communized

[@memepauschale476]

@@wildman510 polishized is my new favorite word

[@justgamesin7281]

Those cars did have a lot of polish.

[@RK870XK]

I only know FSO Warszawa, but that thing is merely a GAZ M-20 Pobeda

[@OneDullMan]

L&K's bike looked nice. I have always like the looks of the Tatra 77 - something truly innovative. Too bad more manufacturers wpuldn't have been willing to stap out. Thank you Ed!!

[@indiekiddrugpatrol3117]

Imagine how economically dominant Czechoslovakia could have been had they not became communist

[@4ever242]

@IndiekidDrugPatrol Yeah!!!!

[@tedmarakas2626]

I went there about 10 years ago. You could still see and feel the communist era in the subways and the buildings which after the fall of the communism they slowly started to rebuild. We should take our jackass socialist scumbag politicians and send them on a field trip but .....Cuba would probably be more fitting at this point. Czech Republic is a beautiful country and very innovating. It's just that 40 years of communism set them back 100 years. No worries, they will catch up.

[@jannadrielcervo7753]

The Czechoslovakian automotive industry is such an underrated subject. Lots of innovative and advanced ideas before falling into Communist rule. I'm a huge fan when I learned about Tatra and of its history.

[@tedmarakas2626]

@@jannadrielcervo7753 The Czechs are intelligent people and innovating. They've proved this through history. Communism is for stifling innovation and above all competition. Once you kill competition and the ability to own property or invest.....why bother innovating? Same thing happened to Poland, Hungary, Ukraine and the rest of the Eastern block countries. Truly sad. Now in America is WOKE and they want us to think that everything is free and everybody is equal. I call this BULLSHIT !!! Nothing ever was or will ever be equal.

[@tedmarakas2626]

@@zongihangi11 Gotta tell you, even though you just described utopia, I still wouldn't want to spend a day in a communist run country. I like being rewarded for my effort and live my life the way I want to. I also want to feel free and enjoy good things in life. I can understand why people wanted to escape from East Berlin.

[@luchadorito]

13:05 a bad boy like that with the exact green colour was the first car I ever rode in. We had it until I was 5, swapped it for a brand new(at the time) Octavia. I remember being blown away by the motorised windows(in the front only) when we got it, that felt like something a spaceship would have.

[@briansteffmagnussen9078]

The 100 series is my favorite, I have driven one once, I want to do it again and i have wanted it for decades. You have to be a MAN to really wrestle the best of the car.

[@bluefalcon7782]

Nice video! As a czech citizen and petrolhead, I can tell you did your homework. Some details are missing (you would need like 1h video to make the whole picture with Tatra trucks and Skoda prototypes etc.), but you actually catched the essentials right and avoided some local automotive urban legends.

[@TheFlyingBusman]

The Favorit, whilst a bit cheap and cheerful, was reasonably well built and had some neat, practical, engineering touches making it very easy to work on. I ran one for some time and it was an alright motor as was the Felicia that followed. Tatra still make some great commercial kit.

[@nick_de_l]

I lived in the Czech Republic for three years (Brno!!!) and I absolutely loved skoda cars. I wish we had them in the states !

[@nick_de_l]

@Max Mullets if I remember correctly, I think they didn’t pass US safety tests?

[@jefferysmith3930]

What a small world. The black 613 shown inside a building is in the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville, TN. I saw that very car on a visit there in November and sat in the blue 2CV shown in the background of the photo. Made me chuckle.

[@mattw8332]

Very interesting video. Skoda make great cars today. I was always fond of the 1970s-80s rear engined Estelle and Rapid. They were actually one of the best Eastern Bloc cars sold in Western Europe.

[@FLAKKU03]

Yes, they are ok, because all Skoda cars are something like rebadged VW's (ofcourse it isn't simple car rebadging but 100% technology came from VW)

[@zeroceiling]

@@FLAKKU03 …well if he’s talking 70’s and 80’s…there was no VW content at all. The technology was all designed within the Czech Republic.

[@kennethswain6313]

I’m glad you are back at it! You make it interesting and fun to learn. Keep it up( please)

[@jozefm3044]

milujem vas Cesi, a zavidim vam, posielam pozdravy zo Slovenska

[@zelyzkocz283]

I never actualy though that you will make video about my country. Thank you so much for making these videos.

[@CocoHutzpah]

I would not have guessed the Czech car industry would be as innovative and resilient as it is.

[@kellingtonlink956]

Thanks for another entertaining and insightful history lesson.

[@kotelypiesely1268]

Tatra is such an interesting company, you forgot to mention the MTX V8 supercar, also their trucks are not just good, they're amazing, at one point you could get an air-cooled Biturbo V12 diesel, and all of them have to this day independant suspension

[@richards5593]

I was very reluctant at 1st to watch this video. However, the productions have always been good in the past so I thought I'd give it a chance My goodness! What did education in European car making. I really appreciate the perspective that I never had. Thank you for the good work. Excellent production and excellent Photographs

[@adrianrutterford762]

Excellent!! Another episode from Ed!

[@syedammarkhalid3695]

Perfect timing! I just watched a great movie, and now I get to watch a video about my fav topic, cars!

[@kevinbrownrigg]

Well done! Excellent auto history. I really enjoy your videos. Thanks!

[@DJL78]

The face that you made an entire episode on this topic blows me away.

[@wtsane5449]

Gotta be honest brother, you are pretty much the best thing on YouTub.

[@reinaldoenriqueratto7800]

Great episode, as always! I thought you would talk a bit about the '90s Czech supercar, the MTX - Tatra V8, but I understand it's very rare (4 or 5 units ever made). I ask you again: please, please make an episode on the Argentinian car industry, including Turismo Carretera. Greetings from Pergamino, Argentina 🇦🇷.

[@stfnMDQ]

they were 3 MTX cars build ( red, white and black) + 1 MTX kit ... and the black car was featured in Kanye Wests movie Runaway :)

[@stfnMDQ]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJiYqJ6QYsl9jqM

[@martinwalker8569]

old Tatra 613 are only one 4 door luxury sallon cars with rear V8 engine on the world, also it is aircooled ,latest version more than 250 kmh speed, no power stearing no power brakes no airbag

[@davepetros3827]

Always enjoy your work, Ed. A brilliant series

[@vojtechmarik281]

Great video, thanks you from Czech republic. Tatra 713 Is my personaly favorite Czech car.

[@tetchuma]

Nashville’s Lane Auto Museum… largest collection of Tatra’s in the US!!

[@jjlegend3922]

Damnit I love this channel!!! You deserve so many more subs than you have. Thank you for putting out top-notch material, month after month!

[@jamesanderson3160]

Ed, I gotta admit it brother, I love the classy way you present your content! You deserve many many more subscribers! One of the most underrated automotive historians out here. This channel is really going to go places. Can’t wait to see what you bring us next!

[@peskycat]

Thanks Ed, for another entertaining and informative video. I always look forward to your videos. Met Dank!

[@glennalderton1313]

Tatra trucks in the Dakar rally were monsters!

[@martinbalmforth2665]

Development of the Favorit drove Skoda to bankruotcy, it was styled by Bertone, Porsche developed the engine mounts and Ricjardo Engineering in the UK designed the cylinder head. It was a very popular budget car, and in 1993 gained fuel injection and side impact bars. The Favorit killed Lada sales in the UK, as it was almost the same price as a Samara, but better made and better equipped, and thanks to Bosch efi, compliant with emissions and mire reliable than Lada’s electronic carb. The Felicia put the nail in Ladas coffin, with the likes of tge 1.9d, handy estate and cube van, and even had models with leather interior, heated seats, air cobditioning erc, all for less than the cost of a second hand Ford Escort

[@Tom-jj6ii]

Great great documentary !!! Very precise - you surely spent a lot of work with it ! After seeing it I recognized how proud we can be on our car industry... ;-)

[@Dalibot_neznamy]

10:49 Beetle was forbiden car for czechoslovakian citizen, because they were imported from germany 1938-1948 so they were pretty rare. My dads first car was Tatra 1934 (small one) And now we have Velorex 16/350 as vetereran

[@ghostplayer4848]

Love you!! Am from Czech republic so this just Warms my heart 😅 we are so small country. Its good to see someone just know obout us and things we did😅

[@colombianguy8194]

Your country is beautiful, has a great history and your gun laws and firearms are cool, is one of the countries that i'm considering to move, greetings from Colombia.

[@ghostplayer4848]

@@colombianguy8194 good do hear ❤️but I'd like to warn you 😅 Our language is one of the hardest in the world. So if u gonna lern Czech its gonna be really long and difficult experience 😅 there is some youtuber i thing from britan or idk and he is learning Czech and posting it on KZbin.. I dont know his neme now..

[@ghostplayer4848]

@@colombianguy8194 and Another thing... In Czech are lot of racist. Its not like extreme. Not like ur gonna get punched or something.. No thats not the thing.. But ur gonna Definitely get look or something.... Yea it not good but it is what it is I'm not proud of it but It's happening so..

[@colombianguy8194]

@@ghostplayer4848 thanks for the info. I don't know a thing about Czech language, I guess that I have a lot to learn but I saw some words similar to Spanish. And about racism, I think that all countries have racist people, even in Colombia with Venezuelans, we never expected so many people from our neighbor country to emigrate here, and racism and xenophobia is present. I only knew a Czech guy, he was super cool by the way, so no worries haha

[@Czechbound]

Fun Fact : The Ministry of Trade and Industry has a garage museum in the basement with all the top models of Czech production through the years. You can visit it during the "Open House" festival, held twice a year. Or I'm sure you could arrange a tour there.

[@dipling.pitzler7650]

In the 60ies our neighbor had a 1000 MB , it was for sale so me father took me along for a look, generally East block cars were met with a bit of skepticism, but I still remember how surprised I was with all the amazing features of the car like the a special compartment for the spare tire, the hidden fuel filler behind a " Skoda" emblem, extra luggage space under rear seat, the rear engine and the agile handling after the test drive.Sadly my father opted for a Austin 1300 instead!

[@digitalrailroader]

14:20 there’s only one reason why that Tatra has a Tennessee Antique Auto license plate; it’s a part of the Lane Motor Museum collection in Nashville, TN which means i have seen this car in person!

[@martyb5058]

Always very happy when you release a new video!

[@constantinopleisGreek]

Awesome video mate! Keep on with the good work.

[@jaromor8808]

great video, thanks 👌🏻 seeing what we used to be stuck with, when it comes to cars, is depressing af

[@BarstoolProf]

Great video, Ed. I'm a big fan of your concept. Keep them coming. Cheers from Canada.

[@fredsilva7274]

Excellent video. Had no idea that that Volkswagen stole their idea for the beetle from a Czechoslovakian company. Changes my whole perspective.

[@StephiSensei26]

So, when do we get to chat about the world of YUGO from the former Yugoslavia??? That has to be worth a good giggle. I owned a YUGO, so, I would know! Good episode. THX!

[@Gemer9094]

The Felicia is a rust bucket especially the back lid. On the other hand, the Favorit is actually pretty rust resistant. The older Favorit is more likely to hold up, but the Felicia is junkyard fodder.

[@indiekiddrugpatrol3117]

It’s because communist cars were designed to last forever whilst western ones whilst better are designed to last around 10-15 years as they want you to buy a new one

[@Xyronium]

Just give it some time. Favorits were seen as junk just couple years ago too and now look what are they selling for...

[@Random-nf7qb]

@@indiekiddrugpatrol3117 Not really, most of the soviet cars had a projected life of 7-10 years. They just made them easy to service and overbuilt some things because of the floating quality of parts.

[@gangsterbroccoli]

I love watching the videos of the old Auto shows, AC shnitzer, Zagato, De tamaso. So cool

[@stormende7872]

I saw a sporty Skoda once, it looked much better than a lotus and I think it was mid 70's or so. You enjoyed the video, thankx.

[@jerrybailey5797]

Very interesting l love tge fact that Skoda went from being an underdog , to becoming a very worthy car brand . Excellent documentary

[@nichopaulu8395]

Great video! I really like this series! This one was probably the best one yet, probably because I like the Czech car industry. It's very true that Tatra had so much potential. If only they had a better chance to reinvent themselves, that would be great. They could've made rear-engine rear-wheel drive V8 luxury sedans last a bit longer perhaps. As mentioned, the planned economy didn't benefit them. But also they were still expensive luxury cars that looked nothing like their competitors. That sounds like a good thing, but performance only increased minimally as other brands soared to the top of performance. Tatra only added EFI to their V8s after 1990. They just didn't measure up to their German competitors. I was reminded recently that Havel ordered three BMW 750iLs, one red, one white, and one blue (for national pride, like the flag). Understandable, given many people that lived through the time of the ČSSR probably had grim memories of previous Tatras. During the past decade, I think the trend has flipped. Given the increase in value and general interest, it's safe to say that now these cars are considered to be properly cool!

[@patrickdaniel898]

Hey Mr. Ed, I really like your video's, especially these Histories of, I always end up wiser about much more than cars alone. Love the humor aswell!

[@mortified776]

Today's thing I didn't know I needed until I saw it: An illustration of streamlining as escape from the villainous clutches of personified drag. I have small humans in my life with an interest in machinery of all kinds and at that wonderful age where the 'why is it so?' questions roll in like waves at the beach. I have a feeling this image will come in handy at some point. - Thanks Ed! 😀

[@marshallkinjongun5333]

thank you for this great insight into the Czech car industry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@juancruzmarolda7726]

A video overviewing the argentinian car industry would ve very intersting. To see how it rose, stagnated and then became what it is today

[@wdakota]

Your videos are amazing! Please keep them coming!

[@kobbetop]

At 12:23 the Skoda TV ad says ”Skodalla menee hyvin” in Finnish which means roughly ”Skoda is doing well”. I don’t know true that was at the time but fast forward into 2022 and Skoda is doing Suberb! (I’ll get mi coat) PS. I’m hoping for an episode of the auto industry in Finland…

[@SteveBueche1027]

Another informative and entertaining video Ed. Thank you.

[@trabi601enjoyer]

Hi from Czech Republic! This was really great!

[@shnilauzdicka]

thank you for this!!

[@petevonprag]

Výborně! Díky

[@danielc3472]

Love your content Ed! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@derekguitarmax9140]

This is an awesome little series Ed!

[@michalmiroslavmendel3589]

YES! I was not expecting you to cover Czechoslovakia

[@robertmills3682]

I kept rewinding the parts where you pronounced the long names….it’s so fun to listen to 😊

[@sandstorm17]

I love this vid

[@klasseact6663]

Ed, you did a great job here, love your videos 👍👍 You would be a great host on Top Gear...now find 2 other hosts😉

[@PinheiroJony]

40 years have passt since 1990 ? Wow, I got 10 years older just by watching this video

[@ericripley9739]

Noticed that too. Was going to comment but see you got it first. 2020 - 1990 = 30 (not 40)

[@baileyantonengpei7860]

It’s way too hot out so I’ve already watched these but it’s fun 🤩 But yeah watching funny entertaining educationally historical accurate videos is just awesome

[@lousyfer666]

My first brand new car was a 1984 Skoda 120 GLS. Bought in Ottawa Ontario Canada. It was a great little car.

[@Elecks.]

Amazing vid Ed! I am really impressed with TATRA, i only know them as a beer brand though haha

[@repapeti98]

10:52 Ah yes, The Wartburg. My dad had several of them including a 353 TT (tolótető) which means it had a sunroof. Which leaked. But it had one. He rear-ended a Renault because the driver had to stop abruptly to avoid hitting a pedestrian. The Renault's entire rear bumper was destroyes, the window broken, the lights badly damaged. The Wartburg? The bumper bent in a little.

[@Aygo84]

Interesting video, especially for those not very familiar with the Eastern European car industry. I would've only added: (1) the Octavia and 1000 MB were replaced by the still 1000 MB based 105 and 130 / Rapid. Yes, they were a bit outdated compared to a contemporary VW Golf or Peugeot 305, but press rated these cars better than corresponding Lada's, Yugo's, Moskvich's or even Wartburg's; (2) these cars were replaced in the mid 80s by the Favourit/Forman duo, based in a Giugiaro discarded design for Fiat, which is why this car is well designed in my opinion. Despite lower quality than a contemporary western european compact car, it was a huge leap forward, especially in packaging and design; (3) Today's Czech industry is not limited to Skoda's: in the mid-2000's Toyota started producing there until to date the city car Aygo (alongside with the Peugeot/Citroën twins resulting from a joint-venture) and Hyundai/Kia also opened a factory there. Despite the boycotts from central governmental decisions during USSR-era, Skoda never stopped developping cars, even though they were shelved. There's plenty of interesting Skoda prototypes and concepts that never reached production.

[@LuppoAlberto]

Great video Ed but you could briefly mention that the Tatra mountain range is not in Czechia but in Slovakia. You also might find interesting that the neighboring Slovakia is arguably the biggest car producer per capita in the world. For a country which has approximately 5,5mil. inhabitants we have 4 car manufactures- VW, Peugeot-Citroen, Jaguar-LandRover and Kia. I know that all these are foreign manufactures, but it's a large number for such a small country and almost every person in this country knows someone who works for the car industry. Czechia currently also produces Hyundai cars near the city Ostrava.

[@christopherkraft1327]

Fascinating information!!! Thanks for sharing this fun video!!! 👍🙂

[@jasonshull3106]

Thanks Ed for your great video.JDS

[@andrei-florianivan6478]

I would LOVE to see an episode about Romania's car history. Dacia, Oltcit, Aro and all other industrial vehicle (Astra Bus, Roman Trucks, Rocar/DAC etc.)

[@colchiccoduvapassa]

You did a very good job. Cars of the Eastern Block are very interesting because they were very rare in Western Europe. Not Skoda however, that was sold in Italy and had its little niche in the market. It appeared very outdated to our eye, expecially because of the rear engine . But for some nostalgic of Simca 1000 and Renault 8, not a weird car.

[@starflyt1150]

I would not be surprised to see you on Motor Trend TV in the near future. You have certainly mastered your style.

[@drivingduck2234]

as someone that loves car museuns across europe i must say tatra musuem was one of my favorites! its really surprising to see the variety of machines and inovation that company had/have(?)

[@patrickracer43]

Tatra: *sues* Hitler: "I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of these tanks and bombs"

[@vargapa101]

Well researched, thank you

[@davet.5493]

Nashtya @0:50 - holy shit - I started to cry, too funny thanks Ed

[@MrJayrock620]

Tatra’s were unofficially known as “The Nazi Killers” for years. They were prone to oversteer with all the weight being in the back, and I’m sure there was a fix for some of that. But hey “accidents” happen especially at high speed

[@eduardosantabaya5348]

I wanna seize the means of production, I accept xD Talk about Argentine car industry, it'd be great to listen a crazy dutch talking about the Rastrojero

[@MAtogable]

hizo la de australia, que es practicamente lo mismo

[@isthenishanth]

Was wishing for a Skoda video. Terrific, simply clever.