As changes swept through Eastern Europe, the Škoda Favorit became the car to bring Czechoslovakian automobile production into the mainstream sector. With roots stretching right into the Communist era, the Škoda Favorit was able to make the Škoda brand “popular,” ending the marque’s perception as a joke and transforming it into that of World Rally Championship winners.
HISTORY OF THE MARQUE
During December 1895, keen cyclists Vaclav Laurin (a mechanic) and Vaclav Klement (a bookseller) started designing and manufacturing bicycles under the Slavia name—due to the patriotic feeling shown by most Czechs at that time. The bicycles sold well, and Laurin and Klement decided that the next natural step would be to add motors. Selling motorcycles from 1899, the duo decided to change their brand name to that of Laurin & Klement and, with their machines, chalked up several early competition victories. The marque’s love of competition was under way! The motorcycles sold well, with over 4,000 produced before 1905, when the construction of their first car took place.
In the early 1900s, the Laurin & Klement Co. could do no wrong, and their first car, the Voiturette A, was a huge success, becoming a classic in Czech motoring history. When war broke out in 1914, the company started manufacturing for the armed forces too, and introduced many items to the market. Economic conditions in Czechoslovakia were not good in the immediate post-war years, and Laurin and Klement needed a strong industrial partner to strengthen and modernize their company, which was now producing a range of cars, trucks, buses, aeroplane engines and agricultural machinery. A partner appeared in the form of Pizen Skodovka Co. in 1925, and jointly, they became Škoda.
The early 1930s were not a good time for Škoda, but the introduction of their Type A Popular changed that. The car was offered at a good price, and was reliable. The car sold well in the home market and served not only as a car but also a utility vehicle, an ambulance and a delivery van. The car undertook a four-month road trip to India, and also performed well in the 1936 Monte Carlo Rally.
During the Second World War, Czechoslovakia was occupied by the Germans, and the period until 1945 was a disruptive one for Škoda. The civilian car production program was very limited, as the majority of manufacturing was forced and encouraged to support the Nazi war effort.
After the war, as part of large-scale nationalization in Czechoslovakia, the company became a national enterprise and took over all passenger car production. During this period, the Škoda Tudor was successfully exported as far as Australia, and the mould-breaking Škoda 1200 was introduced, a model that was modernized several times before finally ceasing production in 1973. Škoda also manufactured the 440 model, which in 1959 evolved into the first Octavia—named because it was the eighth model to be produced after the end of WWII. The Octavia name remains a cornerstone of the marque’s range today, and in current guise contested rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship in late 1990s and early 2000s.
The Czech economy performed well up until the 1960s, then began to suffer behind the Communist Iron Curtain due to new technology in the Western world, however, during this time Škoda kept its love of motoring alive, making new and improved cars in the form of the Octavia, the Felicia, the MB range and the Rapid. As you will read below, however, production really only took off again for the manufacturer with the arrival of the Favorit. The car’s success in the FIA World Rally Championship gave Škoda much needed press coverage and a boost in credibility, and as the Iron Curtain fell and the Berlin Wall was torn down, the company was able to attract VW Group interest and take a giant leap forward.
The Škoda-VW partnership was cemented in December 1990, and a joint venture began the following year. In joining forces, Škoda became, at that time, the fourth brand in the Volkswagen Group alongside VW, Audi and SEAT. Since then, Škoda has gone from strength to strength. Production lines in the Czech Republic, and now in Russia, produce tens of thousands of cars annually—many of them ranking highly in their chosen market sector. Škoda’s love of competition, that dates back to racing bicycles and motorcycles at the turn of the 20th century, remains as strong as ever.
Rear-engined Škoda cars were successful on the tracks of Europe, noticeably at Brno, and on the Special Stages. Multiple class victories were secured on the RAC Rally before the Favorit was introduced to carry on that role. Today, Škoda remains loyal to competing in international and national rally events. WRC versions of their Octavia and Fabia car have been used in recent years, alongside a S2000 specification Fabia. For 2015, Škoda is introducing an all-new, two-liter powered R5-specification Fabia. This car, running under the Škoda Motorsport team banner, and in private hands, ensures that Škoda’s place in motorsport will continue for many years to come.
Photo: nemor2 from Wikimedia with permission
A NEW ERA – FAVORIT IS BORN
Reintroducing a name not seen on a Škoda since the 1930, the manufacturer introduced the Type 781 “Favorit” as its first front-wheel-drive production car. Its significance for Škoda cannot be underestimated—it was, as the British magazine Autocar said, “a big step forward.” Launched in 1987 at the Brno Trade Fair, deep in the heart of Czechoslovakia, the car met the target set for Škoda by the government and incorporated a fair amount of Western technology both in its design and manufacture. This helped the car gain much credibility in Europe—on both sides of the Iron Curtain.
The car’s story started back to 1982 when the Communist government finally agreed that a new range of cars was needed. Work started on the project early in 1983, with the first prototype up and running by the end of that year. A further 13 project prototypes were constructed by the middle of 1984. The Škoda design team had been working on a concept of a small, five-door car since 1980, and so the new direction requested by higher powers allowed Škoda to combine ideas and inputs toward the new car. The Type 780 1980s concept quickly became Type 781 and the Škoda Favorit that we know today.
The Czech politburo gave permission for an outside agency to become involved with the design, an unusual move for the time. Several style houses were contacted, and finally Bertone accepted the task after Giugiaro turned the offer down and Pininfarina was unable to help because of its involvement in associations with the French car maker, Peugeot.
After a delay in wanting the new car, once the project had seen the light of day, the Czech government was keen to proceed with pace and gave orders that the new machine should be available to purchase within two and a half years. By the summer of 1985, the car would be required to be ready, so its development picked up pace. Bertone completed the drawings that would be the final version of the Favorit during 1984, and a limited number of test and development cars hit the road. The Favorit was used in home territories, but in Western Europe the Favorit running gear was placed in Mazda 323 bodies to enable testing of components away from the prying eye of the motoring paparazzi!
Škoda called on other European companies to help with some of the car’s logistics. Porsche added assistance with the drivetrain, Lucas Girling helped with the car’s front brakes and Ricardo, another British company, offered cylinder head development. When all of the work was completed, an original batch of 171 cars was manufactured and distributed to Czech drivers during late 1987, with mass production starting during 1988.
The first model made available was the 136L, which was also the example that Škoda homologated for international rally purposes in the Group A and Group N categories. The car was very different from anything Škoda had produced before, and with emerging crash test regulations more stringent, the Favorit had a longer front end than previously seen to enable it to survive a front-end collision with less damage. The shape of the car’s shell was pleasing, with its basic lines placing it well in the European market against its primary competitors—notably the Ford Escort and Opel Astra.
Under the bonnet was fitted the very latest version of Škoda’s popular and long-serving aluminum engine, originally seen in the 1000MB model back in 1964. A high-compression version of the 1289-cc unit was fitted, a move that allowed the little 1.3-liter car to be very successful on rally stages around the world. The engine was always regarded as “bomb proof,” and I can testify to that as the rally version of the car profiled here has been revved hard, with no limiter fitted, throughout its competition life.
The first 1.3-liter versions of the engine had been introduced by the marque in 1984 for the 130 series of cars, but engines had been seen earlier in trials for an aborted joint-venture with Wartburg that would have produced an East German and Czechoslovakian partnership car. The cast iron head was replaced, following the international co-operation in Favorit’s development, with an aluminum cylinder head that was recorded to produce 62-bhp. Mounted transversely, drive to the front wheels came via a five-speed gearbox.
Coil spring suspension was fitted all around, with MacPherson struts at the front and a semi-independent torsion beam at the rear. Seats were trimmed in soft fabric, with headrests on the front seats, and the interior trim was of a moulded plastic that matched the door trims in a styling that was intentionally matched to mirror the car’s exterior Bertone styling.
The 136L car was joined in the Favorit range in 1988 by the Favorit 135, which had slightly less power. Škoda management had planned an even smaller version of the car, but with political upheaval not far away in Eastern Europe, plans for a low cost Favorit were shelved. A world apart from the rear-engined Škodas that had become somewhat part of a stand-up comedian’s set of jokes; the Favorit began to match its sector rivals. It may not have been a Ford Fiesta or a Vauxhall Astra, but Favorit was more than capable of holding its ground—and it did. It quickly became regarded as the best car ever to have been exported from behind the Iron Curtain, and in Britain the car proved a strong seller. In 1988, the car’s first full year of production, the Škoda factory in Mlada Boleslav produced a total of 21,363 Favorits. Expansion of the facility took place to allow more than 800 Favorits a day to be rolled off the production line—a vast number of cars. State-of-the-art welding robots and mechanical assembly fittings were installed by Škoda on the production line, and by 1989 more than 100,000 versions of the car had been manufactured.
One of the original ideas by Škoda, when the Favorit was introduced, was to release different body shapes for customers to purchase within the range. However, after much planning, only two versions made it to the full mainstream market. The original five-door hatch was joined by an Estate variant, referred to as the Forman, which had an extended rear section—but incorporated the same tailgate section. Two minority models, a pickup truck version of the Forman and a small commercial van based on the five-door hatch were produced in small quantities. Other versions that did not make the market included a Bertone-designed three-door hatch, a sedan with a truck, a commercial van and a small ambulance!
VW PARTNERSHIP
Changes sweeping through Eastern Europe delivered a partnership with Volkswagen and the much-needed injection of capital—but with it also a change in direction and product planning. VW decided it wanted to enhance the current brand offering before introducing new models, and this meant that the Favorit prototype model called “792 Felicia” didn’t make it to market. However, the Felicia name did make its return later in the 1990s as the direct replacement for the Favorit. As the VW-Škoda partnership grew, the Favorit began to become equipped with more VW parts and became more refined, although marque purists will always favor the “Škoda” version of the car—which our profile rally car is.
Photo: David Prachar, CZE
The Favorit was widely exported, with importers permitted to make changes to the models on arrival. For example, cars arriving in Great Britain had some rather attractive alloy wheels fitted, wheels that would be used by countless rally teams throughout the years. Staying true to Škoda’s love of competition, the Favorit was a very popular competition car! Less than a year after its introduction, Favorit was blasting its way through Special Stages in rally events. The 136L scored a class win in the 1989 Lombard RAC Rally and another highlight victory in the Monte Carlo Rally of 1991. The famous Group A cars, driven by Pavel Sibera and Emil Triner, secured the 1994 FIA World Rally Championship title in the Formula 2 (under 2-liter) category—a remarkable achievement that marks the Favorit out alongside many of its “higher ranking” rivals.
More than one million Škoda Favorits were made. Production runs of 783,167 hatchbacks, 219,254 Forman Estate cars and 70,900 pickups rolled of the line, and production of the ground-breaking car finally came to an end in August 1994 when the Favorit was replaced by the Škoda Felicia, a car that also scored rally success, notably a podium finish on the British round of the FIA World Rally Championship in the hands of none other than Stig Blomqvist—but that is another story.
MUD AND GLORY
I have long been an enthusiast of Škoda, but during the 1970s and early 1980s the rear-engined Czechoslovakian cars were the butt of many jokes. They went something like this, “Question: Why is a Škoda rear-engined? Answer: To keep your hands warm when you are pushing it.” I always laughed off these schoolyard quips by ignorant people with cold hard facts. Škoda was a rally icon. A winner of multiple class awards in national and international rallies. I believed then, and still do today, that competition, and winning in competition, is good for a brand. This continual ability to compete against more fashionable opposition was good enough for me, and far outweighed the childish jokes of which I was growing ever more tired. In my opinion, Škoda cars were built to be raced and rallied.
Standing in cold Welsh forests each year during Britain’s round of the World Rally Championship—the RAC Rally—I can still recall the sights and sounds of a Group A specification Skoda Favorit on maximum attack approaching. The little 1289-cc cars in the colors of Škoda Motorsport ran high on the entry list by dint of their Manufacturers’ entry in the World Rally Championship, with Pavel Sibera, in particular, wringing the neck of his car, pushing toward results other teams could only dream of. These were great days for rallying, and for Škoda.
The Škoda Favorit was a rally sensation. Running in Group A and Group N trim the model was regularly seen in the World Rally Championship with its career highlight coming in 1994, when Sibera and his co-driver Petr Gross, and Emil Triner with Jiri Klima, secured the Formula 2 World Rally Championship title for the Czech marque. The 1994 season was the finale for the Favorit, as the Felicia was introduced for the 1995 season.
It seemed logical then that when my brother and I decided to “have a crack” at rallying with the Sheshon Racing team, a Skoda would be the weapon of choice. I well recall the day when two advertisements appeared in the British publication Motoring News showing two rally cars for sale. One was a Fiat and one was a Škoda Favorit. Motivated as always by price, Colin (my brother) suggested I should telephone and enquire about the Fiat—as it was cheaper. So I made a call, spoke to the car’s owner, called Colin back and told him “we are off to look at the Škoda on Sunday.”
Two weeks later the Beckett brothers were the proud owners of a Škoda Favorit, registration G617 TYM. A car that had been built to contest the Škoda Trophy, a one-make category for Group N “showroom specification” cars, and a car that in the hands of Mark and Bob Stokoe had contested competitions in Britain and Europe. The car also contested the 1993 Network Q RAC Rally, although on that occasion engine failure forced the Stokoe brothers out during SS29.
Having purchased it in spring 1998, our Special Stage career with the car started at the beginning of 1999, with the Somerset Stages, based in Minehead, our first event. Regular BTRDA Championship outings in the 1400-cc class followed for us in the Favorit until an accident on the Plains Rally in Wales during the year 2000 ended the season with a bang! The car was rebuilt and just over 12 months later we were back with the added support of Vernon Baldwin of Baldwin Autosport. If there is one man you want in your corner when competing with a Škoda it is Vernon. He is a stalwart of the marque, with a wealth of knowledge about Škoda cars of all shapes and sizes, and possesses the “can do” attitude that makes him so valuable. Without Vernon, the competition history our profile car could easily have ended long before its time!
Back in the forests, I am pleased to say that in rounds of the BTRDA Rally Championship and on National ranking championship events, such as Rallye Sunseeker, the Favorit has never been far away from class podium finishes. The highlight being class winners on Rallye Sunseeker in the National Championship in 2004—ten years after the Škoda Favorit was crowned winner of the F2 World Championship!
The last outing for the Favorit was in April 2012, and the car is currently undergoing subtle restoration work to update items that need replacing, to accommodate new safety provisions, but allowing it to retain its patina. As soon as these items have been finished, it is safe to say that Škoda Favorit G617 TYM will once again grace the forest tracks of Britain for some serious rally action!
RIGHT AT HOME
I have been fortunate to drive many cars for Vintage Racecar and Vintage Roadcar since I started writing these profiles. I have enjoyed the chance to sit behind the wheel of vehicles such as a Talbot Lago driven by the great Juan Manuel Fangio, and an Aston Martin once raced by Dick Seaman. This car felt different! This car is a car I know very well, a car that I have looked after through many special stages in rallies here in the UK, and in turn, a car that has looked after me, too. Climbing into this near-Group N-specification car, its familiar smell made me feel right at home and instinctively I placed the big Škoda key into the ignition switch placed on the right of the dash.
A couple of pumps on the accelerator to bring the fuel up to where it is needed, and with a single turn of the key the familiar sound of the 1289-cc engine barked into life. With Colin strapped in alongside me, we set off for our Profile drive, and a valuable shakedown for the Sheshon Racing team.
This example of a Škoda Favorit is probably the closest any Group N-specification car left in competition in Britain today. The car still retains its original carpet set, door trim and head lining. The rear seats, as required to meet full Group N “showroom,” have been removed and, of course, the standard safety equipment is fitted.
As I sit low in the car, my driving position is, I find, sometimes restricted during tight turns on a special stage, or when cresting a hill. I use a small bolster cushion in the bottom of the competition seat to add height, and I had to stop shortly after the start of our drive to reposition and get comfortable. Once in position, I was happy and the car fit me like a glove. Despite not having driven the car since April 2012, everything about it was just as I remembered, and its feel gave me great confidence.
Startling acceleration is not something you can ever expect from a car like this, and working its way through the gears can be long, hard work. This is not your rocket ship road car, far from it. A family sedan would feel faster, but I guarantee you that a family sedan would break on turning into a forest stage. This little car would still be going long after others had fallen by the wayside. Reliability has always been Škoda’s big thing. Škoda rally cars rarely break, and although we have suffered mechanical failures during our competition with the car, they have all been “man made” problems such as me cutting corners and clipping ditches. As I accelerated, the car pulled well through the gears, the rev needle (there is no rev limiter fitted) pulling hard in the band to reach the revs required. At times, I have been very close to 7,000 rpm at certain times looking for that extra second. At those revs, one mistake would end with catastrophic consequences. It’s at times like that you keep pushing, and make sure you don’t relay information via the two-way intercom fitted inside our crash helmets to the co-driver (and crew chief) sitting alongside!
I have seen 100 mph on the clock in forest trim during the Uddens stage on Rallye Sunseeker in Bournemouth. That is quite impressive for a little 1289-cc car carrying all of its trim and still with full glass windows fitted—no plastic side or rear screens here!
The steering wheel is again standard fit—just as in the one million or so production models. A piece of tape is wrapped around the wheel “top dead center” so that I can tell where the wheel should be pointing. Driving on gravel, the steering wheel is continually swinging one way and then the other—a confidence dab of the foot brake with the left foot can bring the car straight, but you have to be careful to keep the gas pedal wide open. One lift and the power goes, speed drops and time is lost.
The dash dials are all standard, too. A speedometer and a rev counter. In some models, the rev counter was replaced by a full size dial clock! The heater and its matrix is retained, and on some events when the engine has been running warm, the heater has been wound wide open to vent some heat away from under the hood—making it a tad warm in car!
Fixed to the dash on the co-driver’s side is a trip meter that relays vital information to Colin about distance travelled. All rally routes are marked down to the minute detail, and one point of a mile can cause you to miss a vital entrance to a special stage or route control. Colin also has a footrest screwed to the floor on his side, to allow him to sit with his knees bent to allow him to read maps for me and complete his necessary paperwork. His side of the car is an office; everything happens there—all I do as the driver is drive!
The brakes are standard discs at the front and drums at the back, and in fact the pads are also those that fit a Ford Sierra, of all things. The brakes have always been good, and they are now. A good press on the pedal almost stops the car dead, and the handbrake has a short pull. Vernon Baldwin is always careful during the preparation of the car to give me a good handbrake, as he knows I like to use it on tight corners to aid the car’s turn-in.
I love this Škoda Favorit, and I will say here that this is my favorite competition car I have ever driven. Is it the best? No. Of course that would be silly, but pound for pound this is great bang for your buck. Yes, I may be slightly biased, but this is the car I would go to war in. It has safely dealt with everything that has been thrown at it over the years. It has allowed the Beckett Bros. to guide it through some of Britain’s toughest rally stages in very mixed conditions, from rough roads with deep ruts placing the bottom of the car on the ground for mile after mile, to hard dry and dusty gravel, to tarmac and snow-covered tracks.
Rallying is great fun, and yes, if you want to go faster then a Škoda Favorit is not for you. If you want to win overall and look flashy, then a Škoda Favorit is not for you. But, if you want to compete in a car that crowds love to see, stand down in the ditches to wave and cheer you along, to drive a car that is a rally icon, then look no farther. This Škoda Favorit is for me! We are proud to keep this example of the Škoda Favorit on the stages, and as the current Škoda advertising slogan in Europe states, Škoda “Makes Happy Drivers.”
