Name Octavia is now very well known. Škoda has produced millions of mid-range models since 1996; in principle it is Octavia par excellence. But if you didn't grow up in the former NDR ali Czechoslovak, you probably don't know that there is a car with a name Octavia existed decades earlier.
World two-door Octavia left the main factory in Young Boleslav January 1959. Technical improvements included independent suspension on all wheels and suspension with coil springs and torsion bars on the front axle. He was a rookie eighth model Škoda brand after World War II. Hence the Latin name Octavia – eighth. Robust in-line four-cylinder engine with capacity 1,1 liter in 29,4 kW (40 HP) reached maximum speed 110 km/h and spent 7,7 liter of gasoline per 100 kilometers. More powerful version Octavie Great came on the market in 1959 with 1,2-liter engine and maximum power 33 kW (45 HP).
At the car show in Geneva in 1960 Škoda presented a sports version Octavia Touring Sport (TS), which with a power of 37 kW (50 hp) also celebrated success in motor sports. Among other things, he is on a rally Monte Carlo in years 1961, 1962 and 1963 reached hat-trick of class wins. The van also celebrated its premiere in 1960. Its specialty are horizontally split tailgate. It offered enough space for five people and a trunk with a loading length of 0,965 meters and a volume 690 liters. When the backs of the rear seats were folded, the trunk volume increased to 1.050 liters.
The last one Octavia Combi rolled off the production line at the end of 1971, and until today approx 54.000 such vehicles. The two-door sedan was produced only until 1964, after which it was replaced by a newly designed series 1000 / 1100 MB with self-supporting body and rear engine. There was no MB station wagon, so it's easy Octavia Combi lived even longer. Until 1971 it is Škoda made almost 300.000 vehicles of this legendary model series, which also caused a sensation in motorsport. Among the greatest successes octavia were a class win at the legendary Monte Carlo Rally between 1961 and 1963 and a class win at 4000 million long races from Montreal across Canada to Vancouver in 1962.
Let's take a look at the “originally' by Octavio Combi, which was available for journalists to drive as part of the presentation of the latest Octavia facelift. It's long 4,06 meters, wide 1,60 meters and tall 1,43 meters. This is the format today Fabia, i.e. a small car. It also has a wheelbase 2,39 meters and 47 HP from 1.221 cm3 of volume under the front bonnet. 85 Nm of torque is available at 3.000 rpm to propel forward approx 940 kilograms heavy car. Without passengers, of course. These must be due to the absence of a back door very adept at being able to slide into the back of the vehicle. Fortunately, the driver and passenger seats simply fold forward. Three-door hatchbacks at that time they were not a rarity, remember VW Type 3 Variant. Visually, Škoda somewhat resembles a hatchback Volvo Amazon (P220) from 1962, with the delicate rear brackets in the foreground.
V inside is noticeable soft padding and is relatively cramped. At least by today's standards, as many cars back then were much smaller, especially in the Eastern Bloc. The steering gear lever is a must manage by feeling; the four-cylinder engine is definitely not a silent performer. Even as a passenger, it's quickly clear that this car, with all due respect to its age, needs to be driven with determination. Power steering? Forget about him. She is old in this short circle Octavia attracted a lot of attention from Czech passers-by. Depending on their age, between "Look there!" and "Remember?" No wonder, after all, she was original Octavia at the fall of communism in 1989, still present in Czechoslovakia. Mainly because in Škoda's range, right down to the model Forman there was no station wagon based on the Favorit model.
