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Skoda Restores Last Remaining 1100 OHC Coupé, Only Two Ever Existed

Škoda has painstakingly restored one of its historic racing cars, the Škoda 1100 OHC Coupé. We are discussing a vehicle built back in 1959, and only two units like this were made. The restoration job was even more complicated since both examples had crashed while being raced by their private owners.
Original state of 1959 Škoda 1100 OHC Coupé 10 photos
Photo: Škoda
Stripped down original 1959 Škoda 1100 OHC CoupéOriginal state of 1959 Škoda 1100 OHC CoupéOriginal design teamRestored 1959 Škoda 1100 OHC CoupéRestored 1959 Škoda 1100 OHC CoupéRestored 1959 Škoda 1100 OHC CoupéŠkoda 1100 OHC Coupé alongisde its open-top brotherRestored 1959 Škoda 1100 OHC CoupéRestored 1959 Škoda 1100 OHC Coupé
Before being restored, both vehicles were as good as forgotten, as one of them had its bodywork irreparably damaged in a fire after being crashed, and its parts were dismantled. The rear axle with integrated gearbox, which was one-of-a-kind as Škoda noted, was sent to the National Technical Museum in Prague, and then donated to the Škoda Museum a quarter of a century ago.

The first example was also crashed, but less damaged, but that did not stop its owner from changing its rare engine for a production-spec one from a Felicia. Fortunately, the original was not destroyed, but placed on display in the vocational school in Mladá Boleslav before being reconstructed by the factory.

With the restoration complete, the Czech marque took it for a quick drive, an extremely brief photo session, and it is now in its museum. Sadly, we will never see this 1959 Škoda 1100 OHC Coupe race again because it is only one of two ever made, and it is the sole survivor in coupé form.

Fortunately, thanks to its restorations, future generations will get to see it, and we take advantage of the opportunity to present its story.

Stripped down original 1959 Škoda 1100 OHC Coupé
Photo: Škoda
Škoda started designing the type 968 (internal designation) as early as Spring 1956, and it was made for endurance racing on the track. Both prototypes were completed by the end of 1957 for two models without a roof and a small windshield.

One of the prototypes is still raced in classic car competitions, while the other is in the UK, where it is placed in the company's heritage fleet.

Back in 1959, Škoda decided to build two coupés on the same platform. It took the team less than a year to complete the build of both prototypes, despite deciding on a different type of structure and ditching an OHV design engine in favor of an OHC unit. As you can observe in the photo gallery, it came with independent throttle bodies as well.

The engine itself was derived from a production design, found in the Škoda 440 Spartak, but with an aluminum crankcase, aluminum cylinders, and optimized combustion chambers. The engineers had fitted an overhead-cam valve drive, and the compression ratio was raised to 9.3:1, which was high at the time.

Restored 1959 Škoda 1100 OHC Coupé
Photo: Škoda
Fuel was fed through two carburetors, while the ignition was handled by a double dynamo battery from Bosch and Scintilla Vertex magnetos. With the right adjustments for everything, it provided 85 horsepower per liter and a total of 92 horsepower at a screaming 7,700 rpm. It could have been revved as high as 8,500 rpm for short bursts, which is impressive for that time and would be respectable even today.

The final design involved a tube-frame chassis, which offered more strength than conventional designs, as well as less weight, which is still important in racing today.

For suspension design, Škoda went for two triangular wishbones, arranged one above the other for the front axle, while the rear had a coupling axle with trailing arms.

In hope of achieving the ideal weight distribution between its axles, Škoda engineers opted for the fitment of the five-speed manual transmission on the rear axle, not just the vehicle's differential.

Restored 1959 Škoda 1100 OHC Coupé
Photo: Škoda
The engineering team also decided in favor of drum brakes on the differential gear. The final drive ratio could be changed depending on the requirements of the competition it was supposed to enter, and the top speed was about 200 kph (124 mph).

The unladen weight of this aluminum-bodied race car was just under 555 kilograms (1,223 lbs.). Initially, the vehicles had an anodized finish, which did not provide any measurable benefit on the track, so the company chose to paint them Red during the 1962 season. Technical rule changes made them unsuitable by 1966, so the company decided to sell both units.

Since this was a restoration made by the factory, the original plans for the vehicle were found and employed. The team used scans of 2D drawings at a scale of 1:1 to create a tri-dimensional grid, and then made sure everything was accurate. The body was reconstructed from aluminum sheets that were manually welded and beaten into shape.

Fortunately, some original components that were shared with other Škoda models of the time managed to be sourced, which only enhanced the rarity of this vehicle. The only thing we cannot explain is why Škoda only published so few images of its unique racecar of the early 1960s.

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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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