Happy 130th, Skoda: how we covered brand’s big moments

Autocar has witnessed some of Skoda’s most significant moments, with both founded back in 1895

Skoda’s story has been recorded in the pages of Autocar for over a century. We’ve sifted through the Autocar Archive to find some of Skoda’s most significant moments since its inception in 1895.
1902

It took three years from the day that Václav Laurin and Václav Klement began making motorised bicycles in the faraway Kingdom of Bohemia for mention of their names to be made in The Autocar.
A London dealer of Benz cars had imported their 2bhp creation and sought to show off its capabilities in a reliability trial to Oxford. “The Hewetson Motor Bicycle is beating all competitors,” claimed the advert. “Stopped and withdrew at 11.5 miles owing to short circuit” was the reality.
Enjoy full access to the complete Autocar archive at the magazineshop.com
1908

Through 1908 we were intrigued by reports of a little four-cylinder Laurin & Klement car triumphing in hillclimbs on the continent.
In Decem