The First Skoda 100/110 Was Produced in Mlada Boleslav Plant After Company-Wide Vacation Forty Years Ago
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MLADA BOLESLAV, CZECH REPUBLIC - August 12, 2009: After a company-wide vacation forty years ago, Automobilové závody národní podnik started producing an impatiently expected new vehicle - the Škoda 100/110. The production launch was not delayed despite a devastating fire that severely damaged one of the parts of the Mladá Boleslav plant. The Škoda 100/110 was then produced from 1969 till 1977.
The 100/110 was a successor to the 1000/1100 MB - the new vehicle was actually a facelifted version of a vehicle for the production of which the Company built a brand new plant (from an engine production facility to a body production plant) in the early nineteen sixties (1960-1964). As a result, the car manufacturer was equipped with state-of-the-art technology and a whole generation of engineers had a chance to gain valuable experience.
Fortunately, the said fire that burst out on 12 August, 1969 only affected the old part of the plant. Extending to 24 thousand square metres, it was the most devastating disaster over the last 40 years, with direct damages amounting to CZK 320 million. The main “victim” was the tool shop.
However, the production launch was not delayed, and the new Škoda was presented to the public in late August. In contrast with the “Thousand” (Škoda 1000), the new vehicle had a progressive body, a newly designed interior and a number of new design elements. The Company produced altogether 1,079,708 sedans (100, 100L, 110L, 110LS) over 1969-77. In 1970, the Kvasiny plant started producing the Škoda 110 R, a two-door coupč that remained part of the production portfolio until 1980.
The Škoda 100/110 became a base for several prototypes and small-series vehicles, such as the Škoda Kirby (Italy), the (similar) Škoda V.F.Buggy (Belgium), the Škoda 110 Super Sport later known as the Vampire from Ferat, as well as the 1100 GT developed by the Motor Vehicle Research Institute.
The 100/110 was a successor to the 1000/1100 MB – the new vehicle was actually a facelifted version of a vehicle for the production of which the Company built a brand new plant (from an engine production facility to a body production plant) in the early nineteen sixties (1960-1964). As a result, the car manufacturer was equipped with state-of-the-art technology and a whole generation of engineers had a chance to gain valuable experience.
Fortunately, the said fire that burst out on 12 August, 1969 only affected the old part of the plant. Extending to 24 thousand square metres, it was the most devastating disaster over the last 40 years, with direct damages amounting to CZK 320 million. The main “victim” was the tool shop.
However, the production launch was not delayed, and the new Škoda was presented to the public in late August. In contrast with the “Thousand” (Škoda 1000), the new vehicle had a progressive body, a newly designed interior and a number of new design elements. The Company produced altogether 1,079,708 sedans (100, 100L, 110L, 110LS) over 1969-77. In 1970, the Kvasiny plant started producing the Škoda 110 R, a two-door coupč that remained part of the production portfolio until 1980.
The Škoda 100/110 became a base for several prototypes and small-series vehicles, such as the Škoda Kirby (Italy), the (similar) Škoda V.F.Buggy (Belgium), the Škoda 110 Super Sport later known as the Vampire from Ferat, as well as the 1100 GT developed by the Motor Vehicle Research Institute.