The Škoda 1202 was a family estate, light van and pick-up built by AZNP at its Vrchlabí plant from 1961 to 1973. It succeeded the estate and utility versions of the 1201, had no saloon at all, and was distinguished by an unusual asymmetric body with one door on the driver’s side and two on the passenger side.
Škoda 1202 at a glance
| Maker | AZNP, Vrchlabí |
|---|---|
| Production | 1961–1973 |
| Factory type | 981 |
| Predecessor | estate and pick-up versions of the Škoda 1201 |
| Successor | Škoda 1203 |
| Bodies | estate (STW), panel van, ambulance, pick-up, hearse; no saloon |
| Body style | asymmetric, one door on the driver’s side, two on the other |
| Engine | 1,221 cc four-cylinder OHV, water-cooled |
| Power | 47 PS (34.5 kW) |
| Gearbox | four-speed manual, synchromesh on the top three ratios |
| Top speed | 100 km/h |
| Built | about 60,000 in 40 production series |
History of the Škoda 1202
A stopgap that lasted twelve years
The ministry had asked AZNP in 1955 for a forward-control delivery van on 1200 mechanicals, and the Vrchlabí works built several prototypes between 1956 and 1958. The project ran late, and in March 1960 the ministry stopped it: instead Vrchlabí was to modernise the utility versions of the 1201, which were being built in five body styles whose panels were pressed in six different plants and then laboriously assembled. The result, the 1202, unified as much of the body and chassis as possible, and took the front doors and the floor from the 1201 unchanged to save tooling.
Raimund Hrubý’s body
The new body had a completely new front with a panoramic windscreen, styled by Raimund Hrubý, and a longer rear with corner windows. The base version was a three-door estate, generously glazed and with horizontally split tailgate doors, from which the van and the ambulance were derived; a hearse and a pick-up followed in small numbers, and a single flat-bed prototype was built in 1966. The fuel tank moved from the engine compartment to a position behind the right rear wheel, the headlamps became asymmetric, a reversing light was fitted as standard, and the interior took its dashboard, steering wheel and fittings from the Octavia. Underneath, the 1201 engine and chassis were carried over with little change apart from new rear leaf springs and a new starter. The car was approved for the road on 12 September 1961, and body production began in Vrchlabí in October that year, with chassis still coming from Mladá Boleslav. Right-hand-drive cars were built for Britain.
Updates and the Turkish connection
The 1963 model year brought the first facelift: the body was mounted on rubber blocks, which cut noise and vibration, the vertical grille bars and bumper corners disappeared and the large bonnet lettering gave way to a smaller chrome script. A De Luxe estate joined the range, recognisable by an anodised aluminium strip along the sides and tail. A pick-up entered series production in 1963 and a hearse followed in the autumn of 1964. Large numbers were exported as chassis for final assembly abroad, above all to Turkey, which took about 10,000 chassis to be completed as pick-ups there; assembly continued in Turkey after Czechoslovak production ended. The 1202 was the last Škoda passenger car with a backbone frame and a separate body descended from the prewar Popular, and it was replaced by the forward-control 1203.
Design and features
- Asymmetric body: one door on the driver’s side and two on the passenger side, an unusual solution for loading kerbside.
- Unified panels: one body shell served the estate, van and ambulance to cut tooling and assembly costs.
- Panoramic windscreen: a modern front end by Raimund Hrubý on an otherwise humble utility car.
- Knock-down export: about 10,000 chassis went to Turkey for local pick-up assembly.
Škoda 1202 versions
- 1202 STW: the three-door estate, the base version, in Standart and De Luxe trim.
- 1202 van: panel delivery version derived from the estate.
- 1202 ambulance: medical body, one of the most common versions.
- 1202 pick-up: utility model in series production from 1963.
- 1202 hearse: built from the autumn of 1964 in small numbers.
The 1202 was replaced by the Škoda 1203 and grew out of the estate versions of the Škoda 1201. More cars are in the Škoda collection.
Video: Škoda 1202 STW jede
Video by Gaspard1979 on YouTube.
Sources
- Škoda 1202, English Wikipedia: production years, asymmetric body, engine, performance
- Škoda 1202, Czech Wikipedia: development, styling, facelifts, Turkish assembly, production total
