KODIAQ’S 4X4 RUNNERS
Off-roaders and SUVS are nothing new to Skoda; we look at a history rich in all-terrain vehicles and off-road know-how
DESPITE the new Kodiaq arriving relatively late to the SUV party, Skoda’s 4x4 history dates back as far as the forties. Around the time Land Rover was setting up shop in the UK, Skoda workers were assembling rugged military vehicles for the Czechoslovakian army.
The Skoda 1101 VO debuted in 1948, and was the first post-war car built at the maker’s factory in Mladá Boleslav. It was based on the Skoda Tudor, a successful passenger car that spanned eight bodystyles from saloons and estates to coupés and cabriolets. The 1101 VO used the same engine and running gear as the existing Tudor, and paired them with a new, all-steel, four-door convertible body.
Fast forward nearly 70 years, and today you’ll find an SUV on every street corner. People consider these cars to be a relatively new phenomenon, but dig a little deeper and the connection between the Skoda’s earliest crossover and models such as the all-new Kodiaq becomes increasingly clear.
While all current (and future) Skoda SUVS are available with all-wheel drive, many buyers favour a two-wheeldrive set-up for improved fuel economy and reduced emissions. And despite the utilitarian 1101 VO’S tough appearance, it’s much the same story. Based on that Tudor platform, the vast majority were rear-wheel drive. The raised ground clearance made it good for undulating ground, in much the same way that today’s front-driven SUVS are well suited to urban speed humps and hidden potholes. However, its off-road ability was restricted, despite a locking differential. It was never built in big numbers, but sources suggest just over 4,000 left the factory before it ended production in 1951. It was used in Czechoslovakia, as well as being exported for the Saudi Arabian, Egyptian and Portuguese national armies.
In order to explore the maker’s lesser-known but still rich SUV history, we’ve taken a trip to a deserted airfield near Prague to try the 1101 VO Tudor, as well as one of the rarest Skodas on the planet – a later 973 Babeta. Today, the Tudor is appreciably rudimentary, featuring