Photo: Skoda
The Le Mans 24 hours race remains decades after it was first held the pinnacle of motorsports. As the world’s oldest endurance race, the event saw a great deal of carmakers come and go, some crowned winners, others just meteoric appearances with nothing to show for.
On the list of those who tried and then gave up is Czech carmaker Skoda. Back in 1950s, it fielded a variant of the 1101/1102 Tudor model called Skoda Sport. Driven by Václav Bobek and Jaroslav Netušil, the car performed great until “a small defect” as Skoda calls it proved catastrophic and caused the car to exit the race 13 hours in.
While it was racing down the track, the car averaged 126 kph (78 mph), achieved thanks to a 1,089cc, 50 hp engine. It didn’t make the impression the carmaker was hoping for, even if at one point in the race it managed to reach the second place.
The car itself remains one of the greatest the Czechs ever made. It weighed 600 kg (1,322 pounds), it had an extended wheelbase compared to the car it was inspired from, and air vents next to the headlights. You can see the car in its full glory in the small gallery above. It has been first restored and then preserved as part of a private Czech collection.
The 1950 Le Mans run was Skoda’s only one in the competition, at least until now, as “the difficult political situation” stopped any attempts to go back to Le Mans over the following years.
The carmaker is planning a surprise comeback next year – the target was for a 2020 return, but the global health crisis put an end to that. They will not do so with some new car, but with this exact one, not as a racing entry of course, but as a celebration of the so diverse history of the race.
While it was racing down the track, the car averaged 126 kph (78 mph), achieved thanks to a 1,089cc, 50 hp engine. It didn’t make the impression the carmaker was hoping for, even if at one point in the race it managed to reach the second place.
The car itself remains one of the greatest the Czechs ever made. It weighed 600 kg (1,322 pounds), it had an extended wheelbase compared to the car it was inspired from, and air vents next to the headlights. You can see the car in its full glory in the small gallery above. It has been first restored and then preserved as part of a private Czech collection.
The 1950 Le Mans run was Skoda’s only one in the competition, at least until now, as “the difficult political situation” stopped any attempts to go back to Le Mans over the following years.
The carmaker is planning a surprise comeback next year – the target was for a 2020 return, but the global health crisis put an end to that. They will not do so with some new car, but with this exact one, not as a racing entry of course, but as a celebration of the so diverse history of the race.
Google News