The Škoda Story

Many car companies from the 20th century had a few hurdles they had to negotiate to stay in business. Škoda’s had more than most, yet it’s riding high after all these problems. From its start as the reaction to a bad customer support experience to its post-Communist takeover as part of the mighty VAG group, Škoda continues to produce an increasingly diverse range of popular cars to customers around the world, in many factories around the world.
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#bigcar #Skoda #Škoda

[@claudiomichieletto9874]

Fun fact: the luxury package in the Škoda Superb is called the Laurin&Klement.

[@AlpakaAntifa]

We used to own a superb laurin&klement when my dad worked at Skoda in the Czech Republic... What a car 😍

[@Papinak2]

This package was also available in MK1 octavia and, to celebrate 100 years anniversary, in special edition of 1995-6 Felicia

[@user-ss3es8yo3h]

Not just Superb. Felicia, Octavia and others also.

[@intraxx88]

But Waclaw&Waclaw would be better

[@GrimZJako]

It's not exclusive to Superb. Octavia Mk. 1 has it too. Maybe other models too.

[@SimonWebbRCandModellingChannel]

As soon as VW got involved, Skoda has become an incredible car company. I absolutely love their range of cars and would love to own one.

[@blinDTiger0.01]

what's the story b4 the acquisition?

[@Papinak2]

@@blinDTiger0.01 typical eastern europe company - owned by the government, no competition, no drive for innovation. They developed 1000MB in 60's and that's it. There were other projects, but the government never gave them enough money to actually put them into production, so they were just modifying their current model. Luckily in the 80's, even government realised they needed a new car - NOW - so Skoda developed Favorit within 5 years with involvement of western companies - so they had relatively modern car and factory when communism fell. But they were near bankrupcy with no resources for further development - in 90's when car technology leapt forward. And government needed to sell it. Luckily, VW saw potential, bought majority in Skoda and heavily invested. Renault was also interested in acquisition, but they had no interest in keeping Skoda brand. Interestingly, it wasn't first time that VW was involved in skoda - during Favorit development, there was apparent need for a new engine and they were thinking about licencing a 1l VW engine. Eventually they found out that modifying the Skoda engine from 60's was cheaper and resulting engine was more capable.

[@blinDTiger0.01]

@@Papinak2 okay

[@HippasosofMetapontum]

@@Papinak2 not true 100% they couldve gone with this same in GDR - the issue was more like how the government wanted to spend the money, and since socialists are not good with money, guess what they made more debts, while the engineers made alot of interesting cars, that only got limited productions or no tries at all because the govs didnt understand what the west market actually wanted :)

[@Papinak2]

@@HippasosofMetapontum more or less what I said :)

[@Breznak]

Oh.. the 110R...we called it The Škorsche

[@rogluka]

Škodilak :D

[@abyssstrider2547]

@@rogluka Škodi lak would mean harming paint in my language lak can also be used as a way to say that someone is light

[@rogluka]

@@abyssstrider2547 pa odakle si mi brate? 😁

[@abyssstrider2547]

@@rogluka Ja sam iz Bosne :D

[@thegloriouspyrocheems2277]

Škodilak - kultno auto koje se dugo moglo vidjeti u Mostaru

[@Alcofoamer]

People always look at me like I'm crazy when I say this, but I wish we had Skodas in America.

[@andreasstrauss5194]

I think they would do well because they are cheaper than vws so maybe theyll bite into the share of Toyota and so on

[@Alcofoamer]

@@andreasstrauss5194 That's what I think. VW tries to present themselves as being a bit more upscale than Ford, Chevy, Honda, Toyota, etc. here so I could see Skoda as VW's value brand. I've heard Skoda wants to sell cars in America but VW claims it would cannibalize sales.

[@andreasstrauss5194]

@@Alcofoamer thats my guess too

[@rogluka]

You have one... It is an Superb Estate from a Chech diplomat... :)

[@martinmracek6885]

Skoda is going to be present in US when VW will focuse entirely on electric cars ( ergo in near future) Skoda will be its brand for " dirty " cars

[@nimeshchokshi1921]

Speaking of Tatra, can we get The Tatra Story at some point? I’ve become really fascinated by these cars lately, especially the T77 and T87. I’m glad you’re continuing these marque videos, btw.

[@GeorgeSPAMTindle]

Tatra designed and built the car which became the VW Beetle. The design was stolen from them when Germany invaded Czechoslovakia in the 1930s, and then Adolf Hitler's close friend Ferdinand Porche took all the credit for designing it. For some reason the VAG Group don't like to promote this side of their history, but as they did actually get forced to pay compensation to Tatra (only about 5 to 10 years ago I think) it is a bit difficult for them to continue to deny that their empire is founded on warfare, theft, and deceit.

[@PhilOsGarage]

Lots of yes to this...

[@adam207321]

@@GeorgeSPAMTindle and thats probably all that there is to say..Tatra remained as heavy vehicle manufacturer for the military and agriculture and prettymuch everything that needed heavy transporting.. The possibly most famous of all Tatra 815 truck and then there are some military 8x8 versions. Not much to say about tatra in general.

[@GeorgeSPAMTindle]

@@adam207321 Yet Tatra could have been so much more if they hadn't had their work stolen from them, so I have to agree with you when you state'that's all there is to say about them'.

[@adam207321]

@@GeorgeSPAMTindle yeah...Unfortunately stuff happenned...czechoslovakia might be the most canibalised country of all soviet countries. During the monarchy, during world war, during the communistic era, and now its the politicians ripping money from people here.. I am also a railfan and during the soviet era if soviets would not have happened we would have easily have the most advanced railways in europe. Back then. So many projects got cancelled because soviets wanted stuff for themselves they didnt leave us any space for our wants and needs. The railway industry the air industry (helicopters just check up the history of that) motor bikes (Čezet) and so many more. Only things that remained are Škoda, Zetor(tractor manufacturer) Tatra which are still capable of existance. Škoda is WV by now so it does not really matter anymore

[@Dukenukem]

Also the translation of the long czech names of the company 4:10 Joint-stock company, former Skoda works 5:10 Joint-stock company for Automobile Industry 7:34 Automobile works, National company

[@theczechfamous]

The first means something like - Joint-skock company, previously Skoda racing. And the last one also ends in Skoda racing not national company.

[@honzaplachy5040]

@@theczechfamous Yeah, google translator sometimes sucks. závod in czech means also "company, establishment, enterprice..." and not only "race". But today is this meaning not much used.

[@farfromreal]

Thank you!

[@KarlHamilton]

What type of person actually takes time out of their day to downvote someone's hard work? I honestly don't get it.

[@lukerinderknecht2982]

Must be the dudes from the Seidel & Naumann bicycle company that returned Václav Klement's letter 😅

[@BigCar2]

😂

[@95blahblahhaha]

And he always does such good videos on top of that

[@lockingBlock]

Those are likes from Australia.

[@DenGuleBalje]

Some people want to be the combo breaker

[@ocereijo]

Vaclav Klement was the bohemian Ferruccio Lamborghini!!! The Škoda Rapid was also sold as Seat Toledo, VW Jetta and VW Santana.

[@ocereijo]

And the Rapid now sold as VW Polo Sedan in Russia!

[@buggs9950]

Santana was the saloon version of the B2 Passat, well in the UK at least.

[@ocereijo]

@@buggs9950 that was the first Santana... In 2013 both Rapid and Santana were built and sold in China.

[@IrishWannabe]

Wtf

[@devilslayerthesaintofkille1317]

Even similar script logos.

[@ErwinnRommel]

Škoda Felicia has to be one of the most reliable cars ever. Almost 10 years of ownership and maybe a couple of cheap repairs. Absolute icon

[@maverickf1426]

Yeah that Thing took us everywhere

[@sputumtube]

I wash my dad was still alive to see this, he would have loved it. Especially the earlier models. Thanks for posting. :)

[@Brera011]

My aunt and uncle had a 1960 Felice, also a red one. As a kid I loved to see them coming to us in that flashy red convertible and telling about their trips to Germany, France and even Spain

[@Doman9191]

U mean Felicia

[@louisbeerreviews8964]

Ronald VAN TOL is Feliecia not Felice

[@Brera011]

@@Doman9191 Sorry, I was 5 at the time, It should have been Felicia and not Fellecia or Felice

[@romanpanek148]

Hey Big Car, thanks for touching on this subject, explaining this brands history. Thanks for staying objective and reasonable. Cheers from Czechia

[@DrataTheDrifter]

Stop saying Czechia, that is NOT gonna happen!

[@romanpanek148]

@@DrataTheDrifter What is not gonna happen? That the official OSN short name for Czech Republic is Czechia? Why we dont use the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, i know right?

[@DrataTheDrifter]

@@AndrewEdwardBailey Czechia, that name, that will not happen. I don't give a shit whether Rhodesia is now called Zimbabwe, but Czech will not be called Czechia :-)

[@DrataTheDrifter]

@@AndrewEdwardBailey Once again, there's no such thing as "Czechia"! There's a country in a central Europe, which is called Czech Republic, and it has no short name, so it's often called simply "Czech". Some assholes made up new designation "Czechia", which Czech people hate.

[@jurivlk5433]

@@DrataTheDrifter You're confounding "Tschien" which is accepted and correct with "Tschechei" which is Hitler speech coming from "Resttschechei" (=The rest of Czequia or the part that hadn't been annected by Germany in 1938, which was the whole Czechoslovakia without the Sudeten). I don't know if there are two different terms for "Tschechien" and "Tschechei" in english.

[@MrLurchsThings]

I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for Skoda. I’ve always seen them as a VW with the bugs worked out and generally more interesting to look at. The Octavia is a fantastic car.

[@juerbert1]

An improved version of VW ?

[@russcattell955i]

I have a 2012 Fabia combi, bought it 10 months old. Apart from service items (oils, filters, wipers and tyres) nothing has been replaced. That includes brakes & bulbs.

[@steviesteve750]

I've had 4 octy vRS so far, current one is a 245 Hatch mk3 FL. Great car, no idea why you'd want to spend more for a Golf, let alone an A3

[@anthonylewis2080]

@@juerbert1 : Apparently the Octavia is more versatile than the vehicle with its drivetrain - Golf - irony for you!.

[@ZemplinTemplar]

They even predate VW. ;-)

[@realnutteruk1]

"Can I have a petrol filler cap for a Skoda?" " Sure, seems like a fair swap."

[@Dave_Sisson]

I first heard those jokes used for the legendary Trabant. But I guess they apply to all dodgy cars produced in central Europe in that era.

[@staninjapan07]

Despite the fact that it no longer really means anything even as a joke, I like that a lot!

[@Nooziterp1]

How do you double the value of a Skoda? Fill it with petrol. Or my favourite: heard about the new 16 valve Skoda? 8 in the engine and 8 in the radio. Many years ago I had an Estelle, so I heard them all.

[@datathunderstorm]

@@Nooziterp1 I had 4 rear engined Skoda cars, 2 x Estelles and 2 x Rapids. And despite the jokes, I did always have the last laugh! My cheap Skodas were infinitely MORE reliable than my neighbours Escorts, Sierra and Vauxhall Astra’s of the era. Gave a neighbour a ride in my Estelle once - he was genuinely gobsmacked at the handling, and how quick it was. Never heard another Skoda joke from him after that 🤣. There was a “mother of all snowstorms” in 1990 / 1991 winter, that literally shut London down. Normally taking the tube to work in Holborn, I was forced to take my 1983 Super Estelle into London - as the Tube wasn’t running. The plucky little Estelle made it all the way there through snow drifts and barely passable roads. I passed tens of broken down expensive cars that succumbed to the heavy snowfall. And I made it back in one piece too!

[@Nooziterp1]

@@datathunderstorm Ah yes, my Estelle's performance on snow. I remember many a time when my neighbours in their modern cars were slipping and sliding everywhere while I just sailed past them. Plus the number of times I shovelled the snow off it and it started first or sometimes second time. While some of my neighbours were on the phone to a breakdown service. The last laugh indeed! I have a Skoda now, (a Citigo) and although last winter was mild I am not expecting it to be as good as my old Estelle. It is no more than a Volkswagen with Skoda badges on after all.

[@Annur375]

Nice story! I visited the Czech Republic a few years ago and met a couple who worked for the Skoda company. I actually drove one of those cars and loved it. Thanks for sharing your story.

[@Lando-kx6so]

My neighbour in Jamaica still has his 94 Felicia in mint condition

[@mariekirpalova9329]

Does it have the big grill or the "insert cd's only" grill? Also there cars are fucken durable

[@Lando-kx6so]

@@mariekirpalova9329 "insert CD" grill

[@Doman9191]

@@Lando-kx6so Aka Pre-facelift

[@DRAINTVofficial]

there have been few skoda favorit electric made. with 50km top speed. My dad and grandad could talk about skoda for ages. And I'm becoming a hard core skoda fan too. Ended up buying 18 year old octavia

[@Miichal1337]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/raqblH-Cra-lrq8

[@mihneacireasa4613]

Does it have the 1.9 TDI ?

[@DRAINTVofficial]

@@mihneacireasa4613 no its a 1.8t 4x4

[@kenkeller]

I received '97 Felicia from my aunt as a gift. Zero rust and still runs like a dream. It's taken me and my mates across Estonia, to festivals and fishing spots. I'll forever love that little bastard.

[@nono2oo7]

Škoda*

[@Czechbound]

"Akciová společnost, dříve Škodovy závody" pronounced "Ak-tsiovah spolech (ch as in "check") nost, drreeve Shkodov-ee zahvod-ee". It means "Joint Stock Company, formerly Skoda Works"

[@bremCZ]

Ha! Trying to write how to pronounce ř with rr doesn't help anyone that hasn't heard it pronounced correctly.

[@peterlovisek9210]

Several Skoda models are growing in value. 1000MB, years 67-68 in fine condition are priced above $20k on Czech market. That brings me to the story of my first car, red 1000MB that I've bought for equivalent of $80. I sold it 2 years later for $80 + bottle of home-made brandy. So I was in profit!

[@aris95]

Are there any electric conversions done for older 1000MB

[@lubosmotl5200]

Greetings from Pilsen. It's a totally wonderful video I have recommended so many times. I believe the facts are overwhelmingly true and insightful but I think that I rightfully laughed when you said, at 6:54, that the factory was bombarded in April 1945 by what was left of Luftwaffe. Why would they bombard their own factory? It was theirs and Hitler was still around, up to the last day of the month, and believed to be in control of things. In fact, one may argue that the Nazis were in full control of Czechia even after Hitler died, up to the May 5th Prague Uprising or so (Pilsen was liberated by the U.S. on May 6th; Prague was officially liberated on May 9th, one day after "the war ended in Europe"). So both Škoda Works in Pilsen and the factory in Mladá Boleslav were bombarded in April 1945 by the British and the U.S. aircraft, to damage Germany! During communism, we were semi-sensibly taught that the Allies did it to harm the predictably soon-to-be-communist country. That observation isn't just a propaganda, there's something true about it, but what is missing is that our Soviet allies bombarded the factory in Mladá Boleslav on May 9th, the last day of war in Czechia, too. ;-)

[@mattw8332]

I've always had a soft spot for the rear engined Estelle and Rapid.

[@buggs9950]

I had an Estelle some years ago. It was stolen (yes really) and crashed into a hedge just a couple of miles up the road. I don't think the thief was used to rear-engine handling.. There was a fair bit of their blood spattered about which made me feel better.

[@johnturner4400]

Buggs. “Handling”

[@KoooomA]

@@buggs9950 that's the car of my whole childhood and my first car too.. what a beautiful set of memories!

[@Howlingd0g]

Same here, problems and jokes aside there's just something very charming about them.

[@datathunderstorm]

My first car was a 1983 Orange Skoda Super Estelle (code named “Foxbat” ) with funky alloys, a vinyl roof and a front and rear plastic bumper that greatly enhanced its looks so much so, my mates often mistook it for a BMW 2002. It ended up with the complete interior of a crashed 1988 Estelle - including the dashboard - which was plug and play! It also got a huge whale-tail spoiler which was sprayed the same colour as the car. And rare chrome inserts around all the side windows! Next car was an aquamarine blue 1984 Skoda Super Estelle (affectionately dubbed “Voyager” - from Star Trek). It inherited the whale tail from Foxbat - suitably resprayed the same colour as the car. Then there was “Cappuccino”, a Black 1988 Skoda Rapid 130G, so called, as the boot and bonnet lids rusted through quite badly and were replaced with beige ones from a scrap yard. The vehicle was also called “The Defiant” - a la Star Trek. The last Skoda I owned was a 1988 battleship grey Rapid 130G dubbed “Thunderstorm”. This one’s engine had apparently been bored out to a bigger CC and went like the clappers! I inadvertently jumped a humped bridge on the A406 (it’s no longer there) on the way to work with it, one morning 😱. I eventually gave it to my sister! The longest lasting was “Voyager” who had 2 engine transplants (Foxbat, then Cappuccino) when both cars were written off in accidents (not my fault - I got very good Insurance pay outs for them). Voyager ended up with a 1.3 litre engine from the Defiant and was entertaining to the end, when it was written off in another rear end shunt - the wife got over £2,000 for that! Incidentally, I’d bought Voyager for scrap value of £30 with a blown engine! It was my last Skoda, and despite the shunt was still running! I drove it to be scrapped - and literally cried all the way there, actually stopping along the way to blub my eyes out 😭. Then I broke down again handing over the keys!!! 😭 I totally loved my rear engined Skoda cars!!!

[@richardcrossley5581]

I introduced my parents to Skoda. A few years earlier Dad had bought an Audi A4, I bought a Superb and it cost less, a lot less. Then there were the things the Superb had that the A4 didn't, it's a long list. Dad's next car was also a Superb and now we have a Citigo which the next generation will be learning to drive on. Over the years, I've owned Rovers, Fords, Mitsubishis and Hondas. Skoda is the only marque I would buy again. Thanks for the history

[@dj_efk]

When I was little in the 80s, our entire school class used to find the Skoda jokes hilarious. Now I’m about to place a factory order for a new Fabia Estate 110BHP as my car to visit clients in, having researched the hell out of the options and concluding it’s the best option for my needs and that it won’t embarrass me in terms of brand image when I arrive. Funny old world eh?

[@user-mi4yc7pr3x]

Dacia Sandero is the best car you can get

[@piotrmalewski8178]

That's interesting since Skoda was quite routinely winning their class in British Open Championship. I mean the engine capacity class.

[@dj_efk]

Piotr Malewski - I’m sure you’re right, however it doesn’t change the fact that at the time the British public thought they were awful, cheap cars made by slave labour in the communist east. I remember my Dad clearly telling me how horrified he was that my Great Uncle has bought a Lada (mainly because by doing so he was propping up an oppressive regime, so my Dad said). Just to add, I’m sure these opinions are totally inaccurate in reality - but I remember the sentiment in this country at the time.

[@piotrmalewski8178]

@@dj_efk I don't know about the Skoda factory but I can tell you something certain about a car factory in communist Poland. Edward Pietrzak was a head-dircetor of the FSO (Polish cars manufacturer, they were making eg. Polski Fiats 125p and Polonezes). The guy is a legend, he worked there for 40 years, in the 80ies almost saved the factory but was sabotaged and kicked off by a minister of industry. Before they kicked him off, and effectively brought the factory down, it was Pietrzak's doing that FSO designed a new generation of their own car from a scratch. They made Wars which was up to date, and entirely new, including suspension, engines and so everything. They couldn't however put it to production because the state was ripping FSO from money for decades, and in the 80ies was already too poor to give such a major investment. FSO couldn't get a credit outside the country because of international restrictions put on Poland after the martial law of 1981, so Pietrzak first used fake prototype built on a Peugeot car, and then Wars which this time was a real prototype, to show Fiat that they're mounting a strong new opposition on the European market (it was a bluff obviously), so Fiat gave them license and technology for making Fiat Unos and agreed that FSO would pay only once they earn money on Unos. Anyway, this guy, Pietrzak said something very interesting about the quality issues of the factory: "In the system of full employment people were not afraid of losing their jobs and did not respect their work. There was a huge rotation, about 25% of the factory staff all the time were new workers. We were suffering constant shortages of workforce, to the extent we had to send white collars, soldiers, sometimes even prisoners to the production lines. Unfortunately it didn't help much, and had a terrible effect on quality of our cars". From other sources I can tell you FSO was constantly sufferring from theft, and quality of cars varied from good to poor. One car they made could be problem free and easily reach speed of 170kph, while other exactly the same model would give lots of troubles and struggle to reach 140 kph. Jerzy Gutowski, a test driver who worked for FSO in the eighties, commented that he often had to send cars intended for export back to factory, because there were problems, and one car had its rear axle replaced five times before finally it stopped making noises and could be approved for export. My friend's father had about 20 cars of different brands, including 5 FSO Polonezes, and he insists those were nice, reliable cars, as long as you dismantled everything and put it together again to make sure the car is assembled properly. He claims his first Polonez 1.5 could go over 170kph. I also know of cars that could reach mileage of 500 thousand kilometers without engine renovation but these cars were either re-assembled by their owners, either they were the units that were lucky to be assembled by the best workers around Wednesday, so they were already after the post-weekends hangover, but not yet drunk. People say that in factories back then, drinking started on Thursdays, and on Mondays the staff had terrible hangovers.

[@OmmerSyssel]

@@dj_efk Please keep up with reality. Of course those days communist cars were crap! Jokes was rightfully deserved... Škoda in our time are really good cars, even better than VW.

[@andersdenkend]

New Škoda driver here (2016 Octavia combi) and quickly becoming a fan. Great video, well done and using gorgeous pictures!

[@Howlingd0g]

I've always had an interest and a soft spot for Skodas, even when they were still considered a "joke" as there's just something very honest and charming about old Eastern Bloc cars. I'm the owner of a '93 Favorit now and it's honestly an excellent car! I really didn't realise that Skoda had such a varied and fascinating history either, or that the names such as Octavia and Felicia dated back so far. Loved this video!

[@jameslewis2635]

I can remember when the reaction to having been overtaken by a Skoda was to walk faster.

[@doctordoctor5402]

that is a ridiculous, silly comment. not appropriate in 2020!!!!!

[@ineednochannelyoutube5384]

Skodas are made with up to 260bhp twin charged engines and some of them are lighter than a ton. Without exageration, a top trim fabia will leave most anything that isnt a high end sportscar in the dust.

[@julianroberts5407]

@James Tudor yes, but no longer. In fact, isn't it strange that those who did all the mocking and ridiculing have gone somewhat quiet in the year that is 2021? Any thank god for that!! Skoda forever.

[@aris95]

@@julianroberts5407 Yes it is generally dull to speak about 30-40 year old jokes i must wonder do not these people never develope their knowledge

[@julianroberts5407]

@@aris95 no, unfortunately not. It would appear they are far too ignorant

[@BigCar2]

Errata: Yes, I should be saying Škoda as "Schoda". And Vaclav as "Vatslav". And yes, "drived" should be "drove".

[@romanpanek148]

Its nothing terrible really, we cant blame you for saying some things wrong, when everything shown on the screen was right. I think the rest of the pronunciations were pretty good! Cheers.

[@polakjan]

The pronunciations you tried were quite decent, though with extremely heavy russian accent. Only Russians that live here would actually pronounce it like that. If I tried to describe how a Czech would pronounce it, it would be with a higher pitch and with shorter vowels.

[@BigCar2]

@@polakjan Thanks. Not sure why I go Russian - I've never been there, and I don't know any Russian.

[@polakjan]

@@BigCar2 Almost everyone does, Russian is the slavic language people think of when and the only one they hear somewhat commonly, it makes sense they assume other slavic languages sound similar.

[@dustojnikhummer]

Hey, Škoda pronounced as Skoda is just fine. In fact, that is THE pronunciation outside of Slavic countries.

[@KhakiCap]

Fun fact for Škoda 110 Super Sport: The car was used in few Czech movies. The car had a main role in a movie called "Upír z Feratu" ("Ferat Vampire") from which that car also has its nickname (or at least its black variant), "'Ferat'". (Also, I love the way how you say the word Škoda. It's said "Shkoda")

[@shaydevlin5557]

Hey big car love the videos there interesting and factual

[@edwardtrickett6064]

A triumph of a video again, thoroughly well researched and a pleasure to view

[@Brytonrock]

Two Estelle's and a Favorit passed through my hands. The Estelles were one of the most fun cars to drive despite being underpowered. As for being unreliable, that was never my experience with them. The only criticism we had about our Skodas was that blast furnace of a cabin heater. We could never put it on more halfway up or risk being roasted by the end of our journeys but then again they were built for central Europe which gets far colder winters than the U.K does.

[@wordsmith52]

Why criticise it because it had a powerful heater? It's not as though they were forcing you to have it full on, since, as you say, it had off, low and medium settings - as with any other car...

[@Brytonrock]

@@wordsmith52 , The comment was made with my tongue firmly in my cheek. I haven't had a car since that could produce so much heat, so quickly. It was brilliant for those really cold and frosty mornings and on those odd occasions when we actually had snow on the ground.

[@wordsmith52]

@@Brytonrock Yep, the Lada Samara was a similar case. That car was terrible in most ways, but the heater was always good.

[@charlesc.9012]

@@wordsmith52 Some cars like the Citroen DS had known problems where it sometimes would jam on when you were either cruising at speed or accelerating hard enough. In parts of the world where temperatures vary wildly over a day, long journeys could get very uncomfortable very quickly if it happened

[@iainmclaughlan1557]

I am a driving instructor and I purchased a 2015 Citigo brand new, thinking I would have to replace it in 2-3 years, but almost 9 years later it is as tight as a drum. Great to teach people to drive in.

[@keithdonnelly248]

Really enjoyed the video and great timing as I am visiting Prague next week and hope to visit the Škoda Auto Museum in Mladá Boleslav .

[@keithdonnelly248]

Just back from Prague, amazing time. Made it to the ŠKODA Museum,Highly recommended and The National Technical Museum also if interested in transport. Thanks for the video, made the trip more interesting and share some pictures from the trip, Thanks Keith. imgur.com/a/FzUyoVS

[@ninaakari5181]

Czech is one of the world's top engineering nations among Germany, Japan, Finland, Sweden, USA, etc. It was an engineering center of Austria-Hungary back in the day.

[@philiprodney7884]

Another fantastic piece. I look forward to each with excitement. Keep them coming!

[@kuchenblechmafiagmbh1381]

16:55 Fun fact, this wasn't the original design of the Octavia, the first draft came from Giugiaro but Vaclav Klaus and Piech found it too Italian and decided to restyle it but some tooling was already made and was repurposed for the Seat Toledo II (I guess with slight changes) and 10 years later they shipped a bunch of tools and machines for the Audi A4 B7/8E from Ingolstadt to Spain and produced it as the Exeo for a few years on. My parents got a new Octavia 1.9 TDI Combi with 110hp in early 2000 and we kept it until early 2016 sold it in favor of a new Touran, over the years it needed some repairs like the infamous Golf IV power windows, rear wiper, AC compressor but never had problems with Engine/Transmission, that Diesel (pre-Unit injector "Pumpe-Düse") isn't very clean but almost indestructible, I guess it still drives around. Many people now say Skoda became the real Volkswagen, VW became a bit expensive over the last 20 years (ok, quality grew but recent models like ID.3, Golf 8, T-Roc or T-Cross got a lot of hard plastics in the interior) and they offer almost equal quality for less.

[@noaht2005]

First 20. Skôda is such a good brand. My dad is getting a superb estate. I think Americans are missing out

[@catjudo1]

We are. I've been thinking that for a couple of decades now.

[@mariekirpalova9329]

First of all, Škoda, second, the reason that its not in america is bc of the crash testing, im not sure

[@noaht2005]

Marie Kirpalová sorry. I knew the accent was there somewhere. I’d be surprised if it was to do with crash tests as they share a lot with vw and you get them in the us.

[@andreasstrauss5194]

@@mariekirpalova9329 my guess is that VW doesnt want it because they fear that theyll sell better than VW itself

[@zoltanhortobagyi4323]

@@andreasstrauss5194 That's what I've been told in Canada when I raised the same question

[@nikonfan2407]

I adore this series! Very well researched and never a dull moment. Your channel is growing rapidly all thanks to your hard work and dedication to this subject. You're going to be huge and you truly deserve this success!

[@LMCarneiro]

Very good, as usual. you are a well sourced and articulate communicator. Bravo! I didn't know I needed this channel but now I am a big fan!

[@Chris.Davies]

6:26 - When I studied English (admittedly a very long time ago!) I learned the past tense of the word "drive". That word is "drove". I also learned "driven" is the past participle of "drive". I had never heard "drove" mangled into "drived" before - so thanks for adding a new non-word to my unvocabulary! :)

[@id776]

Great great video I love Skoda and you surprised me with that video Keep up the good work

[@michaelweaver5036]

Here in Australia, Skoda is quite a success today. I am looking to purchase one this year, seeing it as a VW with a 30% discount !

[@davidhynd4435]

Informative and entertaining. Love your videos and always look forward to the next one. Thanks for a job well done :)

[@roberthatfull3816]

One of my old neibours used to have an skoda estate in the early 80s it was a faded browny orange and along with his fso he chugged around with dog sitting in the passenger seat he had that thing into the mid 90s replaceing it with a nsu and a zundap but the skoda was put into the garden to rust out he didnt ever sell or scrap any car he owned there was a jowett and a couple of old minors at the end of his garden .

[@matej_n8392]

Your videos are great, I love them. I've expected another interesting auto-industry video from British Isles and I was surprised by Škoda Story:) Greetings from Czech Rep.

[@BigCar2]

Thanks! I have a new found respect for people from the Czech Republic after researching this.

[@mardus_ee]

+Big Car | Do you think you could do a story about Škoda trolleybuses, too?

[@BigCar2]

@@mardus_ee Probably not. I'm likely to stick to cars on this channel.

[@liberalniautokrata7697]

Big thank you for this video. I am a BMW fan but very emotionally attached to Škoda, as a 1970 Škoda 100 was my grandpa's car and the first vehicle I've ever been driven in in my life.

[@pfandfreak8270]

Just buy one again much better than the nowadays Müncher Scheisse.

[@majormojo]

Nice. Interesting and educational, as usual. One of the best automotive documentary series, not just on YT, but in general. Cheers!

[@KT8D5]

Škoda 110 super sport is known as škoda "ferat". Its because of movie "upír z feratu" (vampire from ferat). It was movie about car called Ferat vampire rsr that was running on human blood. You can find it on internet or even youtube but im not sure if it has subtitles.

[@StephenButlerOne]

Great video. Such a shame how nice their cars started out and slowly went down hill under the USSR. In the 80s Skodâ and Lada was the but of many jokes in the school yard. It's good so see they recovered. Almost bought an Octavia Vrs in 2018 (decided against it because of there terrible facelift front lights), I think my next car will be the Superb Sports line. The superb really lives up to its name, the L&K edition is very nice also.

[@Iskelderon]

That's the beauty of it all! Skoda and Seat both evolved from struggling wrecks to manufacturers worth considering and many times they'll offer even more bang for the buck than VW's main brand itself!

[@Olterior]

Until u sit in vw seat and skoda equal model and notice all the little things vw does better. Same when comparing vw to audi. I am in a market for a new car, considering Scala or an octavia and both are great, but the second i sat in the Golf and the A3 you see all the little things they do better. I will say that Seat and Skoda are much better value however. The Scala will cost me just 25k for top tier model here in Ireland, whereas an equal Golf costs 35K plus. For that reason I will go for Skoda this time, but the Golf still feels superior.

[@Volfmech]

Really enjoyed that, thanks. A lot of new information I wasn't aware of!

[@Englishman_in_Taipei]

Excellent as usual 👍🏻. Always a delight to watch your videos!

[@eriktempelman2097]

Solid and enjoyable video about a likeble brand of sensible, clever cars. Thanks!

[@izziebon]

Excellent. Imagine a 4-ton car!? As a contrast, I remember having a lift in a Skoda Octavia in 1966 and pressing my foot onto the floor and it felt like a biscuit tin.

[@kevinmoffatt]

Bought a used '83 rapide in '92; the smell of the interior (due to cheap plastic) had my infant son in tears and I sold it. I now have a 2022 Fabia Colour and, having had new VW/Audi cars for as long as I can remember, I can honestly say it is an absolute delight in every respect. I read a book recently written by a chap who sold compliance/tolerance measuring equipment to car manufacturers and he was astonished to find that, at Skoda, the tolerances were much better than at Wolfsberg, VW's flagship factory.

[@Thanks_for_posting.]

Thanks for posting

[@trelard]

My dad owned a Felicia early in it's life. Solid car. It was shortly after most Skoda jokes were shifted over to exclusively Ladas.

[@oddities-whatnot]

I had a mate who bought a brand new Lada in the early 1990s here in the UK. Paid about £4k for it I think. Unbelievable.

[@davidrussell8689]

Fantastic video . Always been a fan of Czech engineering. Love your sense of humor too 👍

[@BigCar2]

Thx David

[@maroscz]

Thank you for letting me know our nation had a famous naval commander. His name is Zdenko Hudeček though. Von Trapp was born in Zadar, Croatia.

[@whyyoulidl]

Thx Big Man. Always look fwd to a great story. Pls can you do a story on Ssangyong?

[@davelowe1977]

I drove an Estelle and a 135 Rapide in the 1990s, and a Favorit come to think of it. They were not anything like as bad as people made out, especially the Rapide, although the Favorit felt a bit tin pot. Cold start performance was particularly excellent I remember.

[@denismihokovic2521]

The favorit had a troubled and rushed development with the revolution not helping either, the felicia is what the favorit shouldve been

[@erikz1337]

Pronunciation of Vaclav, ouch 🤦‍♂️

[@ajakowski]

As well as Skoda's name itself...

[@johnturner4400]

Oh well. Maybe if the rest of Europe pronounced English words correctly then you might have a point.

[@Davej82]

Yeah, it should be pronounced something like Wuh-tslove :) But nevermind. I am happy because of this video anyway.

[@wildnugget1675]

@@johnturner4400 Invalid statement as this person's whole point is the story of Škoda, researching the correct pronounciations of a foreign word you're doing research on is common sense. Get a grip you entitled clown.

[@bremCZ]

@@Davej82 More like /vahts lahv/

[@Ravedaze.]

Thanks for the video, I just bought a Fabia TSi 95ps se and really happy with it 😁

[@dlkp07]

Great video!... What a detailed history which you won't find easily elsewhere.

[@johnclements6852]

Well done Andy, perhaps Tatra as well when you can. Good on the Czech's, they always had the engineering capability but lacked capital until the sale to VW. Seem to recall Skoda's were better made than their parent company's product for a time, perhaps still true today?

[@mariekirpalova9329]

Nah, on newer models you could uncover vw logo on the engine with a screwdriver, hidden under Škoda's logo

[@ohbugger1648]

Better value tho

[@denismihokovic2521]

@@mariekirpalova9329 that was a hoax

[@bukvoj6562]

Skoda and VW are the same thing... lots of components carrying the VW logo are developped by Skoda and vice versa (same goes for Audi)... So really, the only difference is the logo and where the car was assembled and since VWs are assembled in Germany, they are a bit more expensive but they are the same otherwise

[@Brera011]

Another very informative video. Bit short in my opinion, but I think this length doesn't scare of futere viewers and followers. Great job BigCar.

[@BigCar2]

Longer?!? A 20 minute video takes forever to make! Thanks for the feedback, but if they are longer you'll see far fewer unfortunately as it will take so long to make them.

[@Brera011]

@@BigCar2 I completely understand. Keep up the fantastic job, I love every episode of Big car an Little car

[@theshowman8478]

Another great informative and interesting video. 👍

[@mankesh8661]

Enjoyed informations with images ! Thank's for video !

[@Rusty9017]

I wanna buy 1203 and make it into campervan, or just have it, I loved the look of it since I was a kid.

[@gavinbyrne2195]

Crazy Vaclav "put it in H" :)

[@rodoherty1]

Another fantastic video! Such an interesting history! That must have been so much work to research and edit together. I don't know how you do it!

[@BigCar2]

It's a LOT of work. I'm trying to work out how to streamline things a bit as these are getting a bit out of hand.

[@ondrejkonopasek9363]

As a Czech person, I genuinely enjoy the moments when you give up on trying to pronounce these names as well as when you try. Big respect for that! Skoda is one of the rare examples of being able to perform in every condition it gets into. If there was not for VW, Skoda would be gone for good. There's been several disputes between Skoda leadership and parent VW company about putting a cap on he Skoda brand to not challenge any VW Audi cars, but I feel like Škoa was jut so lucky to get a chance to make most of it. Even tho it was supposed to be low cost branch of VW, Skoda is actually the one who brings profit into VW. And some too the cars are actually pretty good. Anyway...thank for great video. Awesome job, as always!

[@philipcooper8297]

11:15 the Skoda FERAT was also a star of the 1981 ''Ferat Vampire'' film, where it raced in rally events. The joke was the car ran on blood which it sucked from the driver through the throttle pedal. Sort of like the British 1990 classic ''I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle'' film.

[@louisbeerreviews8964]

Škoda

[@kamilkopacewicz8414]

It is worth watching! It's not a great movie, but fun (with some amount of positive attitude)

[@shaunw9270]

Really enjoyed that . I quite liked the last Rapide models at the time despite the jokes. How do you double the value of your Skoda ? - Fill the tank of course lol 🤭

[@BigCar2]

I forgot that one. Thanks!

[@jirkanovak2]

I heard that those Škoda jokes used to be applied on other eastern brands as well, like ladas. Is it true?

[@shaunw9270]

@@jirkanovak2 Yes ! Even Fiat didn't have a strong reputation for durability or reliability in the UK as it was back then ,so imagine who bought Ladas ... old age pensioners lol. In hindsight they probably weren't that bad for the money , especially if looked after and maintained properly.

[@EnglishLawyer]

Always very well researched and presented. Thank you.

[@EnglishLawyer]

I'm sitting here in New Zealand checking every day for updates. There are so many silly sites. This is definitely NOT one of them. I'm passionate about Rolls-Royce and while it has HUGE subject matter, do you think you could find the time to do a story? That would be grand. I love the Silver Clouds and the Corniche.

[@FirstNameLastNameNZ]

Bought a second hand Estelle in blue just like the one in the picture for 350 quid in 1992, a massive upgrade from my Chevette, had windscreen wipers, a heater and a radio...unimaginable luxury at the time!

[@gkgameplaycz]

16:54 Talks about car released in 1996, shows variant that was in production in 2005-2010

[@honzaplachy5040]

Ale furt to je jednička z roku 1996, akorát po minimálním faceliftu z roku 2001. "Tour" bylo jen jméno.

[@dustojnikhummer]

MK1 Octavia went from 1996 to 2010, with just a slight, very slight facelift. I mean, you would not call the 2017 headlight abomination an MK4, would you?

[@adam207321]

@@dustojnikhummer yeah and it also recieved an engine ID number :D

[@dustojnikhummer]

@A real bisexual petrol-head You mean MK3. MK4 went on sale only couple of months ago.

[@BennysBenz]

Yes!!!! Finally! I love car history, I feel I know more about Tatra then Skoda.

[@MaxxVelo]

The world has overlooked Czech cars it seems. Even the Beetle is a copied Tatra design

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

I like Tatra and Skoda, I also like a Lada Niva. Never perfect but a lot of character!

[@mariekirpalova9329]

May i interest you in "Velorex"? A car that you can build home from pipes and cloth/maybe leather (and other parts of course)

[@BennysBenz]

@@MaxxVelo Yes Ferdinand Porsche stole alot of ideas from Tatra and used it in the beetle and the 356. Skoda esthetically look better then Tatra.

[@myronv4390]

Thank you for this. Being Czech myself but growing up in Canada I didnt know much history on the Skoda. It was a great video and history lesson for me. Thank you.

[@dustojnikhummer]

Canada is 15 years import law, right? So you can get a MK1 Octavia

[@myronv4390]

@@dustojnikhummer yes you are correct however I wish skoda sold here. I'd love to get my hands on their electric SUV.

[@dustojnikhummer]

@@myronv4390 the Vision 4? Christ, I hate that thing. But then again I dislike SUVs in general.

[@DurangoCzechoslovakia]

Myron V electric SUV? What you mean? There is none.

[@danb.3397]

Always interesting and informative. Dik !

[@noaht2005]

by the way the logo is a winged arrow to show progress, and a hole to represent precision

[@BigCar2]

www.logodesignlove.com/skoda-logo-evolution

[@noaht2005]

I didn’t know that it was inspired by a headress

[@vintageman91]

Ah, i was expecting the 70s rallycar. I have seen them in several old rally videos together with the stratos and escort. The 130 LR was also used in the 1300cc class in group b.

[@dustojnikhummer]

Shame they are not in videogames.

[@nathancook1404]

Very interesting History of Skoda! I first decovered the Brand in a Trucks & Tractors Book and I would not only look up their Skoda Xena but would also look up some of their cars that they made. Skoda would also be one of the brands that caught my interest looking into besides many other brands I've came across over the years in books or on the internet.

[@karlvonbahnhof6594]

11:17 This car played in Czech horror movie "Vampire from Ferat", it didn't run on petrol but used driver's blood as fuel...

[@IzthatafaC]

Skoda's are great, I've owned 2 VRS Octavias. I couldn't imagine a better value car that has such good quality, reliability, interior space and performance. I'd recommend Skoda to anyone.

[@jamieflanagan7946]

I've been driving Skodas for years. I don't need too but they work when I want them too so why change.

[@baronvonlimbourgh1716]

I love your videos. Glad i found your channels! You're a likable guy with sense of humor. Makes for easy watching even though the videos are very fact heavy.. Happy subscriber.

[@BigCar2]

Thanks - but "heavy"? What do you mean?

[@baronvonlimbourgh1716]

@@BigCar2 uhmmm. Heavy on facts? That is not something british people say? English is not my first language so sometimes things turn out weird if you translate something from your own language. Anyway, what i wanted to say was that videos with a lot of information in them can quickly turn into reading a boring list of facts and specifications out loud. Your videos do not suffer from that at all, very engaging while also being full of information. That is how it should be 👍

[@BigCar2]

​@@baronvonlimbourgh1716 Yes, I try to make it interesting!

[@dannygroom3327]

@@baronvonlimbourgh1716 . I'm Brit. I knew xackly what you meant......

[@baronvonlimbourgh1716]

@@dannygroom3327 thanks ;)

[@nacekozo]

I love your series - it is very interesting and well-researched. I drove a Š1000 MB from Brno to Leeds in 1990 - it was a fun car for a long journey with bouncy suspension and was extremely flexible - even with all possible storage space used up (and there was a lot of it), you could still fold the seats down fully flat and there was space for two people to sleep comfortably. I then had a Š110R which was a deathtrap, when I look back on it. But I loved it nonetheless, and literally drove it into the ground. The final straw coming after the head cylinder was 'fixed' with epoxy glue in a tiny village in Poland. To be fair to the mechanic, he said it would get me home (Brno), and no further, and he was exactly right as everything went pop as soon as I had parked outside the house. I've had three more modern Škodas since.

[@Aprill264]

Skoda is cool, I personally love the Octavia and Roomster

[@mariekirpalova9329]

Yeah, and Yeti seems to me like Roomster on steroids, also he showed a more modern version of Yeti, the old one had one more pair of round lights on the inside (if u know what i mean) , škoda is updating the older models cuz they were succesful

[@tnickknight]

They dont make the Roomster any longer

[@Aprill264]

Nick Usalis Knight true, but just because it’s discontinued doesn’t mean you can’t love it

[@sammykaiser3455]

Blaze064 Fabia RS II is mine

[@aris95]

@@tnickknight They should make electric Roomster

[@i20010]

I upgraded my Mazda 3 recently to Octavia 1.8T, much more car for the same money as the Mazda. The Octavia's next year design update looks really good. Very Audi-esq.

[@silvermane9370]

Couple of Skoda nuggets for you: In the nineties I worked for one of the major supermarket chains in the UK. We came very, very close to selling Skodas in-store with the launch of the first Octavia. The first Superb model was taken from a stretched wheelbase Passat that was designed specifically for the Chinese market where VWs were already built locally. For whatever reason the plan fell through and Skoda took the design added a quick nose and tail job and put it on sale.

[@frglee]

I'd heard the story that the then president of the Czech Republic, Václav Havel thought the 1990s Skoda Octavias were a bit cramped in the back as his state vehicle(s). He asked Skoda if they might build a stretched version of the Octavia. That was not possible, so a new car was designed using the VW Passat body, which became the Skoda Superb.

[@Papinak2]

@@frglee They actually made the stretched Octavias. But it was just small, hand-made series, with extension panel between front and rear doors.

[@christophercutajar4020]

They have a trophy display that can shame a lot of other car makers. When i was younger i had 3 estelle a rapid and a favorit and a felicia... Still love them to bits.

[@maraujo1984]

No car brand deserves a huge sucess nowadays like Škoda... suffering war, WWII, Communism/Socialism, and still keep going 💖

[@EinkOLED]

Skoda or VW should have continued the yeti design.

[@fenn_fren]

Yeah, the Yeti is a really cool car!

[@TheDuvee6]

Same with the roomster. Compact and spacious.

[@trevorayson7593]

@@TheDuvee6Roomster is an ugly car which didn't find the right market, nicknamed the Dumpster.

[@weapon131]

@@trevorayson7593 The Roomster is literally Skoda's Caddy, and as any and every handyman can tell you, there's ahuge market for those

[@t-bone9239]

@@weapon131 but the skoda wasn’t sold as a commercial vehicle

[@SenatorStudios]

Absolutely brilliant next you should do Moskvitch or Lada These are some epic eastern block cars

[@gabrielcaramet7493]

Great vid as always

[@simonolthenorwegian]

We have a Skoda joke in Norway as well, "Hvorfor kjøre Skoda, når du kan gå da?". It translates to "Why drive skoda when you can walk"

[@martin518441]

"4 people on the street carrying a trabant on their shoulders , they are asked "is the car broken are you carrying it to a workshop" they answer "no we are just in a hurry"

[@Bojan5150]

In ex-Yugoslavia, 1000 MB had an unofficial name: 1000 Malih Briga (A Thousand Small Worries). :) My father had two Škodas some forty years ago, the one I vaguely remember was 100L which was replaced in 1984 by... YUGO 45. :)

[@georgiborsukov2344]

hahaha v Bulgaria same 1000 MB ( Malki Beli ) My father had 100 S , same story DDD

[@aris95]

@@georgiborsukov2344 I wonder why the heck they tried to do new car which based then already old fashioned pre-war Volkswagen back engine desing they should have improved their front engine Octavia models

[@thelastpetrolbender2744]

thx for the brief, learned more about skõda today, not so sure about history part. good video

[@tehklevster]

As a former VW Beetle owner I've always had a soft spot for the rear engine Rapide. A mate had a pretty basic one which was in plain old beige, but it was a quirky fun thing to roll around in. I'd have one in a New York minute if I could find one and had the disposable dosh.