Back in the past: the history of Skoda – Skoda
Can you imagine that Åkoda is one of the four oldest car manufacturers in the world? And still! Moreover, at one time the company controlled almost the entire metallurgical industry of Czechoslovakia and produced such technically advanced cars that the rest seemed complicated, like a Tik-Takov box. Interestingly, it all started not with the car.
It's rare that a trader's line can be squeezed into one person with a vision. Then we would be gods, and this would endanger those "on the mountain." Therefore, first two people must meet, a visionary and a trader, for the world to turn upside down. The best part is that they met at the end of the century.
We are talking about two Vaclavs. One had a beard and the other had a mustache. One was an accountant, the other a mechanic. Clement and Lauryn hit it off and in 1895 decided to build bicycles. Why bicycles? Clement bought himself a Germania VI bike, which turned out to be so feminine that it was scary to ride. He developed his own, much more solid structure, which Laurin appreciated - together they created the Slavia company, which started it all. Only that it is not enough to create a company - you need to shine with something.
Lauryn and Clement were right there. They were drawn to such technical innovations and developed their enterprise so quickly that competitors began to beat their heads against the wall. They won cycling competitions, and when one day they decided to attach an engine to a bike - bingo! In 1898, their "motorcycle" became the first modern motorcycle in all of Europe. And that's nothing - L&K designs began to take part in motorsport competitions. One of them gained such a huge lead in the demanding Paris-Berlin rally that… she was disqualified! The judges decided that a unicorn would run faster in front of their house than a motorcycle would be so reliable. And yet - the design was really solid. And such advertising was enough for L&K to interest two-track retailers from almost all over Europe. However, this was not enough for the Vaclavs, and in 1905 they created the first car, the Voiturette. It is easy to guess that the company immediately became a major player in the automotive world, but difficulties arose quickly - the bank account “dry out”.
Two years later, the problem was solved - a joint-stock company was created, the shares of which were sold out faster than children on the field. In the end, many wanted to get at least a piece of such a unique enterprise for themselves. Luckily, Clement and Lauryn didn't run to the developer with the money and buy a five-bedroom apartment that has room for a pink Rottweiler. Instead, they attracted the best engineers, professionals and sportsmen to the company, bought several small factories and significantly expanded the offer - it was possible to buy not only sports cars, but also executive limousines and SUVs. Self-propelled plows and road rollers were even considered the best in Europe. However, this is nothing, in 1912 the company came into a real frenzy.
L&K decided to buy the RAF car factory. And it would not be surprising if RAF did not represent one of the highest levels of engine production in the world. At the time, it was good enough that, after the acquisition of L&K, it became one of four companies licensed by Knight to assemble shafts and even design them. But what is the Knight system really? Until the invention of the electronically controlled variable valve timing system in the 90s, this system ensured smooth engine operation. Almost as perfect as in 12-cylinder units - and this was 1912. Of course, when assembling this whole thing, it was so complicated that after a week of assembling such units, you could buy Neurosis, but the main thing here was prestige. During the war, the company obviously did not stop the production of cars, although it paid more attention to the production of trucks. After the war, she even started working on aircraft engines, but the problem was that she didn’t know anything about it at all. However, training in France and a license for powerful 3-row 12-cylinder Lorraine-Dietrich units was enough for L&K to join the best, because they had a 12-cylinder engine on sale. God is in the safe. But even the most beautiful story must fall apart someday. In 1925, the economic crisis hit the world, and L & K had to somehow save themselves. And guess what? This became possible thanks to the merger with the second Czechoslovak giant - Åkoda.
You can guess that the Cody company knew about the production of cars as much as the guy about children. Yes, he tried to produce cars under license, but his main occupations were metallurgy and mechanics. The factory was founded in 1859 on the orders of Count Waldstein, and that the visionary had as much in common as Poland with billions in the account, so after 10 years on the market, it simply went bankrupt. It was then that the factory was bought by its last director, a young 27-year-old Emil Akoda.
It is safe to say that it was a seer. He saw much more than just the smelting of steel. It was then that heavy industry was booming, so Emil began to experiment with pan-steel. In addition, he produced guns, factories, and later all transmissions and propulsion for ships. His water turbines were even installed at Niagara Falls - such an entry on the resume is still impressive today. In 1899, Åkoda was transformed into a company, and a year later into a concern, because Emil died. During the war, like L&K, it was engaged in the production of aircraft engines, and later licensed cars. She continued to take over several small companies and factories, until she finally stumbled upon the second giant - L&K.
The merger helped both Laurin & Klement and Kod. The company changed its name to Åkoda Group and became a serious player in the market. In 1930, the ASAP company even spun off from the concern, whose task, in short, was simply the production of cars. And she was doing well. When, in 1934, the company decided to finally release a relatively inexpensive car that could be bought without messing with the devil, under the code 418 Popular, the market went crazy. Other Czechoslovakian brands such as Tatra, Prague and Aero were still in operation, but they would most likely change the planet so that only Joda would not take them - and she loved doing it. The development of the company was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II.
Military commanders squeezed into the management code and changed the profile of the company to the military. One way or another, we can safely say that the invasion of the Czech Republic happened precisely in order to take over the company. It's true - the German industry was having a hard time before the L&K-Å koda merger, it was like a plastic blade against a pneumatic hammer, so getting all this was simply necessary to conquer Europe and the world. Of course, the group continued to manufacture cars, because the Czech Republic did not particularly participate in hostilities, but from now on the military industry became the main activity of the company. Well, there was nothing else to do but wait - until 1946.
Czechoslovakia was reunified and the Akode empire was quickly restored and taken over by a socialist economy. It changed its name to AZNP and became a state-owned concern, although the focus remained on non-car production. In the Eastern Bloc, this was superfluous. In the 40s, not a single new model was created, only designers, like obsessed people, drew new projects, in which, in the end, no one was interested anyway and did not see much difference between them and toilet paper. Because I didn't want to see. The light in the tunnel appeared in 1953. The only question is, was this really the end of the tunnel, or maybe the intercity was racing straight to Akod?
It was not intercity. The company finally released the new Coda Spartak, and in 1959 the Octavia. The latter caused such a stir in the market that Sophia Loren's visit to Poland means nothing to her - the company slowly began to return to the top again. Until the end of the 80s, the lineup was constantly expanding, such stars as the 1000MB model, the 100, 120 and 130 series were created - some time ago we could see them on our roads. Cars of this brand became characteristic in one respect - they were limousines with a rear engine. In the late 80s, almost no one produced such designs, which made Åkoda very original in this regard. It was then that the "velvet revolution" ended the socialist era in Czechoslovakia, and the Åkoda Favorit finally came into action. Front engine, front wheel drive, reasonable price, Bertone design - had to be sold. And it was sold, only after the destruction of the concern by the long-term socialist economy, it was not enough.
The desire of any maid to find the right side. Skoda followed this suggestion and found Volkswagen in 1991. Rather, Volkswagen found it. That's when everything changed. Opportunities, production process, factories, equipment – Åkoda was a manufacture that had its “body” in the 90s, but remembered Austria-Hungary as a “spirit” – Volkswagen just resurrected it. The results did not have to wait long - Felicia entered the assembly line in 1995, but the first really big success had to wait another year. It was then that Octavia entered the market, built on the basis of the VW Golf IV. People rushed to her - she collected several awards, saw several versions, and the competition began to hire fortune-tellers with pendulums to send plague to the Egyptian factories. In vain - in 1999, thanks to little Fabia, care became even higher. Volkswagen knew that with the acquisition of the brand, he inherited some lost but wonderful professionals, so he entrusted the company with the first major project.
Lkoda had to create the new flooring for the Fabia, Polo and Ibiza in-house. It wasn’t done that way, so it’s easy to guess that after receiving the project, the Volkswagen authorities probably went on a furious integration event - the design turned out to be perfect. After the project, Åkoda was given almost complete freedom of action in the creation and invention of new versions. She freely used the technical achievements of Volkswagen, which at times gave the impression that aliens were working on them. Thanks to this, she became the goose that lays the golden eggs, and, despite the colossal adversity that has occurred, she continues to produce cars. It was a good story, thanks to the fact that over 100 years ago Clement didn't like his new German bike...
