The Skoda Slavia Concept is the latest vision to come to life for the Czech marque stemming from the design that began as a Skoda Student Concept Car.
That’s right, the new Skoda Slavia Concept is the seventh Skoda Student Concept Car. The design effort is that of the 31 trainees who attending the renowned Skoda vocational school. The model essentially links the past with the present: the open-top Slavia is an homage to Skoda Auto’s anniversary and commemorates the name of the first bicycles produced by Václav Laurin and Václav Klement after they founded the company back in 1895.
The Skoda Slavia Concept is based on the Scala hatchback and is essentially the “spider” variant. It retains the modern and aggressively-styled front with distinctive Skoda flair with bold and exciting lines. It’s inspired by the 1958 Skoda 1100 OHC prototype race car and – if I do say so myself – a little bit of its cousin, the Porsche Boxster Spyder, is also evident. From the very first draft to finally building this one-off car, the students completed every step themselves, with support from their instructors as well as the design, production and technical experts from Skoda. This creation is testimony to the high standard of training at the Skoda vocational school in Mladá Boleslav. This year marks the 125th anniversary of Skoda, and the students’ concept car pays tribute to the company’s early days.
The trainees made modifications to the Scala’s body, redesigning many areas and adapting existing solutions. The underbody was reinforced after removing the roof and welding the rear doors in place. To redirect the airflow over the vehicle, a special cover with twin speedster humps behind the seats was developed, which flows into a new boot lid with an integrated rear spoiler. The 20-inch alloy wheels come from the Škoda Kodiaq vRS and brake system and wheel hubs are from the Octavia vRS. The redesigned underfloor area houses a modified exhaust system and a touch of essential mod-lighting. The Skoda Slavia Concept is finished in a special White Crystal Blue pearl-effect paint, and weighs in at 1,210 kg.
The hardware and software that bring the Skoda Slavia Concept to life are the familiar 1.5-litre TSI turbo-petrol engine with 150 hp and 250 Nm, harnessed by the seven-speed dual-clutch DSG automatic transmission. More equipment on board from the production Scala include the front and rear axles, steering system, the complete electronics package, including cabling as well as the assistance systems, as well as the instrument panel, the smart Virtual Cockpit display and infotainment system.
Alois Kauer, who took over as Head of the Škoda Academy in February 2020, said, “The Student Car is the Skoda vocational school’s annual flagship project. For the seventh year running, our students are demonstrating the high standard of our in-house training by planning, designing and building an impressive one-off car. We enable them to design their dream car, working with professionals from our various departments. As a result, their training already familiarises them with processes that will become part of their working lives later on, when they graduate from our vocational school and embark on a career in our company.”
Škoda 1100 OHC Sports Prototype
First presented in 1957, the 1100 OHC sports prototype was an open-top, two-seat racecar designed by Skoda for use in endurance rallies. Its low and aerodynamic body was made of glass fibre-reinforced plastic and it weighed just 550 kg. The 1.1-litre four-cylinder engine that powered it had an output of 92 hp. Even so, it translated to 167 hp/tonne and managed top speeds in the region of 190 to 200 km/h, depending on the axle ratio. One of the two prototypes built is now on display at the Skoda Museum in Mladá Boleslav.
Also read: Skoda Karoq First Drive Review | Skoda TSI Engines
