Skoda traces its roots to 1895, when founding fathers Václav Laurin and Václav Klement established Laurin & Klement to fabricate bicycles. Automotive manufacturing started in 1905, and the corporate developed into Skoda Auto in 1925 after being acquired by the commercial conglomerate Skoda Works. The yr 2025 marks the 130th anniversary of the unique firm’s founding, and Skoda is celebrating with a particular car that pays homage to its humble beginnings as a bicycle producer.
The L&Okay 130 is a Very good wagon transformed right into a pickup truck by college students from the Skoda Auto Vocational Faculty. It’s their tenth one-off particular challenge and the primary primarily based on a plug-in hybrid. Skoda engineers collaborated with 28 college students to reshape the B- and C-pillars and take away the rear part to accommodate a customized bike rack.
Picture by: Skoda
The 2 bikes relaxation on an electrically extendable mattress with built-in rails that carry and tilt them at a 35-degree angle, permitting them to suit when the rear part is closed. A 3rd bike could be mounted on the roof, however maybe extra intriguing is the rear door on the passenger aspect. It not solely swings outward and slides backward but in addition options two locking mechanisms and two handles.
Opening the minivan-style door reveals a single seat. The three-person rear bench from the unique Very good wagon was eliminated to make room for a cool field and an exterior speaker equipment. A brand new rear window was designed to swimsuit the modified physique type. Up entrance, Skoda added a radio transmitter and a pill that shows footage from a rear-mounted digital camera.
Past the structural modifications and reworked inside, the scholars utilized gold, crimson, white, and black accents as a tribute to the Laurin & Klement brand. The unique L&Okay badge, courting again 130 years, replaces the acquainted winged arrow emblem that has been in use for the previous century. The distinctive wagon-turned-pickup challenge required over 2,000 hours to finish.
The L&Okay 130 will probably be showcased subsequent month through the 112th version of the Tour de France, which Skoda has supported for over twenty years. As with earlier Pupil Automobiles, a manufacturing model isn’t deliberate.
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Supply: Skoda
