“The Sachsen Classic has been a highlight of our annual classic rally calendar for years,” said Michal Velebný, Restoration Workshop Coordinator at the ŠKODA Museum. “The proximity to the Czech Republic, the wide variety of vehicles, enthusiastic spectators and the scenic route all make this event special for ŠKODA. This year especially because it is our company’s 120th anniversary. We are looking forward to delighting the many ŠKODA fans along the route with real icons from our 120-year history,” said Velebný.
The oldest car among the ŠKODA classics starting in Saxony is the 1926 ŠKODA 430. The car, a steel/wood composite construction, is powered by a 30-PS four-cylinder petrol engine with a capacity of 1,661 cm3, and accelerates up to 80 km/h.
Two versions of the 1948 ŠKODA 1101 will also be pulling in the attention – one is the yellow convertible and the other a green roadster. The green vehicle was used from April 1948 as part of the Swiss embassy’s vehicle fleet in Prague. The two-door ŠKODA 1101 is known by the name ‘Tudor’ to car enthusiasts. The motorised vehicle, with a 1.1-litre engine and a power output of 32 PS, reaches speeds of up to 100 km/h. From 1946 to 1952, around 80,000 ŠKODA 1101 models rolled off the production line.
A further three ŠKODA classics from the Czech manufacturer’s motorsport history are making an appearance at the Sachsen Classic. A real eye-catcher is the ŠKODA 1000 MB Rallye. Rebuilt at the beginning of the 1990s and based on the 1967 ŠKODA 1000 MB, the rally car took part in the London-Mexico Rally and the Panama-Alaska Rally, among others. The car has a modified 1.3-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine that puts 90 PS to use on the road. Top speed: 170 km/h.
One of the most successful rally cars of the 1970s and 1980s is the legendary ŠKODA 130 RS. Driving the rally car from 1976 in the Sachsen Classic is the multiple German Rally Champion, Matthias Kahle. The 130 RS was a permanent fixture at rallies and races up until the beginning of the 1980s and won the 1981 European Touring Car Championship as well as the 1977 Monte Carlo Rally in the category for cars with up to 1,300 cm3 cylinder capacity. ŠKODA’s presence at the Sachsen Classic is rounded off with the 1978 ŠKODA 110 R coupé that has a 1.1-litre engine and a power output of 52 PS.
The Sachsen Classic is in its 13th year. As is tradition, the event starts Thursday at 12 o’clock noon in the town of Zwickau. A total of 180 participants will cross the start ramp. They can expect a scenic and varied route which stretches over 628 km on Saxony’s stunning roads – and which also includes a quick detour to the Czech Republic (in the Český Jiřetín and Krásná Lípa regions). The finishing line will be crossed in Dresden in front of Volkswagen’s Transparent Factory on Saturday afternoon.
ŠKODA AUTO celebrates its 120-year anniversary this year. This makes the company one of the oldest car manufacturers in the world. The brand’s heritage dates back to 1895. At the time, bicycle mechanic Václav Laurin and bookseller Václav Klement founded a factory to manufacture bicycles in the Bohemian town of Mladá Boleslav. They began manufacturing cars in 1905 starting with the ‘Voiturette A’. What Laurin and Klement began in 1895 has now developed into a successful international volume manufacturer with seven model series and 36 model variants. Over 17 million ŠKODA cars produced since 1905 prove the brand’s strength.
150812_Iconic cars at an iconic rally – six ŠKODAs take their places at the Sachsen Classic 2015
