SKODA 130 RS (1975) | Most successful rally and racing vehicles

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SKODA 130 RS (1975) | Most successful rally and racing vehicles-rally

  • The SKODA 130 RS was one of the most successful rally and racing cars in Europe in the late 1970s and early 1980s
  • In 1981, SKODA became European champion in the brand classification of the European Touring Car Championship with the 130 RS. The vehicle also achieved numerous successes in the World Rally Championship, for example at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1977
  • The performance of the traditional OHV engine mounted behind the rear wheels with 1.In Mlada Boleslav, the displacement was increased from 300 ccm to 142 hp
  • The original factory version of the SKODA 130 RS was produced almost 200 times

Mlada Boleslav – Drivers loved it, rivals feared it and it earned more respect on the racetrack than any other SKODA model before it. For a long time, the SKODA 130 RS was considered the best sports car from Mlada Boleslav. The Czech car manufacturer presented it to the public 46 years ago.

In addition to the complete selection of images for this press release on the media portal skoda-media.de there is also a 32-page brochure on various topics from 120 years of SKODA Motorsport ready.

After the successful era of the first SKODA vehicle with rear-wheel drive, the SKODA 1000 MB, modernization was due in 1969 and the SKODA 100/110 L models came onto the market. They differed from their predecessors in particular in the new bodywork. Starting from the basic version, the designers derived the sports versions SKODA 110 L Rallye and the SKODA 110 R coupe built at the Kvasiny plant in the following year. The SKODA 120 S Rallye was presented in 1972: In the 1970s, the sports car competed more often on racetracks in what was then Czechoslovakia than any other vehicle.

In 1974, SKODA presented category B5 vehicles with the 180 RS and the SKODA 200 RS with the aim of doing well in the overall standings at rallies with international participants. Both were not homologated for races abroad, they were primarily intended to help raise the level of domestic rallies. The automobile manufacturer also used them to test new design elements. However, the strengths of all these vehicles were combined in one racing car, and it became a legend of Czechoslovak motorsport: the SKODA 130 RS.

The SKODA 130 RS coupe (type 735) made its debut on the Most circuit in April 1975. A month later he started in Brno as part of a round of the European Touring Car Championship in the class under 2.000cc. The 130 RS immediately took third and fourth place at this premiere. At that time, a five-speed gearbox was still installed, but a year later the FIA changed the regulations and a four-speed gearbox was used in the SKODA 130 RS from then on.

The SKODA 130 RS was powered by the classic water-cooled four-cylinder engine with OHV valve control installed behind the rear axle. The first sales version had an output of 82.8 kW (112.5 hp) at 7.250 revolutions per minute, but in the course of the development of the racing car for use on circuits, the power gradually increased to 105 kW (142 hp) at 8.500 turns. The aluminum cylinder and crankcase engine was derived from the production four-cylinder engines, but unlike them featured a cast-iron cylinder head with eight valves and dry-sump lubrication. The displacement has been increased from the original 1.289cc up to the limit of class under 1.300cc increased – to 1.299.6cc.

The greatest strength of the Czechoslovakian coupe lay in its handling: the light, well-balanced construction helped the drivers in corners as well as on the straights, during jumps or when they had to literally fight against the laws of physics at excessive speeds. In such situations, the SKODA 130 RS proved itself to be a reliable partner that also held its own against the more powerful competition.

Unlike the SKODA 180/200 RS, the smaller RS was also allowed to drive in other European countries, mainly in the West. The SKODA 130 RS was immediately successful, both in rallying and on circuits. He opened his first rally season in 1976, just one year later he was class winner at the Monte Carlo Rally and finished twelfth in the overall standings (driver team Blahna/Hlavka). In the 1978 season, the Zapadlo/Motal driver team finished ninth overall in the Acropolis Rally in the SKODA 130 RS and won the class. A year later, the SKODA 130 RS even finished eighth overall in what was then the toughest European rally. During his career, the rally coupe made for many outstanding successes at national and international stage. In class A2 under 1.600 ccm, even the stronger competition regularly had to admit defeat. Its official career on the local racetracks ended in the 1983 season, but the SKODA 130 RS was still on the road for many years as a training or autocross vehicle.

The SKODA 130 RS has a firm place in rallying and in the history of the European Touring Car Championship. In 1978, the brand from Mlada Boleslav completed a full season in this prestigious series for the first time. Until then, the focus was more on circuit racing in the former Eastern bloc. When it first took part, SKODA took third place in the brand rankings against well-known manufacturers. A year later, the SKODA 130 RS finished second in the overall standings, and in 1980 it took third place behind Audi and BMW and first place in its class. While the adoption prevailed, this was the maximum, which could reach a circular coupe from Czechoslovakia, the Skoda 130 RS 1981 drove to its greatest success: After a hard season he fought with the 1,3-OHV engine The top of the overall standings and Skoda won the title in the touring car European Championship. The competition was amazed and the drivers of the SKODA 130 RS – Zdeněk Vojtěch, Břetislav Enge, Jan Senkýř, Petr Martinovský, Josef Michl and a few others – attracted the attention of the European sports media just as much as the vehicles themselves.

Today, both the rally and the circuit version of the SKODA 130 RS are among the highlights of the collection in the SKODA Museum, both of which regularly take part in events. Almost 200 original vehicles were built between 1975 and 1980, and several dozen were also assembled from original parts by the former Association for Cooperation with the Army, Svazarm (equivalent to the Society for Sport and Technology in the GDR).

SKODA AUTO

  • steers successfully through the new decade with the NEXT LEVEL – SKODA STRATEGY 2030.
  • Strive to count until 2030 with attractive offers in the entry-level segments and other E models to count the five high-speed brands in Europe.
  • develops into the leading European brand in India, Russia and North Africa.
  • currently offers its customers ten car model series: FABIA, RAPID, SCALA, OCTAVIA and SUPERB as well as KAMIQ, KAROQ, KODIAQ, ENYAQ iV and KUSHAQ.
  • delivered over one million vehicles to customers worldwide in 2020.
  • has been part of the Volkswagen Group, one of the world’s most successful automobile manufacturers, for 30 years.
  • manufactures and develops vehicles as well as components such as engines and transmissions independently within the group.
  • maintains three locations in the Czech Republic; manufactures in China, Russia, Slovakia and India primarily through group partnerships and in the Ukraine with a local partner.
  • employs more than 43.000 employees worldwide and is represented in over 100 markets.

SKODA AUTO Deutschland GmbH

  • entered the German market in September 1991.
  • represented in connection with around 1.100 sales and service partners The Skoda brand in Germany.
  • is part of the success story of the traditional Czech brand: in 2020, over 181.000 new SKODA vehicles were registered as passenger cars, which corresponds to a market share of 6.2 percent. SKODA was not only the number one import brand in Germany for the twelfth year in a row, but also further consolidated its position among the well-known volume brands.

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