Škoda 440, 445 and 450: the Spartak years

The Škoda 440, together with the similar 445 and the open 450, was built by AZNP in Mladá Boleslav between 1955 and 1959. In Czechoslovakia it was known as the Spartak, a name it carried from the prototype stage, and it took Škoda back into the market for private motorists after the larger, more official 1200.

Škoda 440 at a glance

History of the Škoda 440

From a nickname to a number

The car was designed to complement the larger 1200 in the range, but unlike it was aimed at private buyers. The engineering was conservative and proven: a backbone frame, a small four-cylinder engine at the front and rear-wheel drive. The engine came from the cast-iron 1,089 cc unit of the 1101 but now had a block of aluminium alloy, reworked inlet passages and a new carburettor, and it produced a solid 40 hp (29.4 kW). Both axles were independently sprung on transverse leaf springs, and steering was by worm and roller. The Spartak name was used by the factory itself, not invented by the public: it appeared on prototypes and even on the plates of some early 1955 production cars alongside the type number Š 970. Late in February 1955 the management and the export company Motokov decided to drop it, chiefly for fear of a clash with the Sparta motorcycle trademark registered in the Netherlands since 1951. Other names, among them Orlík and Rival, were considered and rejected, and the car went on sale as the 440, a number that described the engine: four cylinders and roughly 40 hp. The 445 followed the same logic.

Development during production

The car was revised several times. From 1956 the four-speed gearbox had synchromesh on all gears except first, the cylinder head was changed for better breathing, the heating and ventilation were reworked, the front seats were mounted differently, better wipers were fitted and moulded rubber floor mats replaced cut ones. In 1957 the 445 joined the range with the same body and a 1,221 cc engine, and the 1,089 cc unit was developed further for the open 450. The cars were cheap, reliable and economical, and they were exported widely: to New Zealand, to South America and to Western Europe. A prototype estate-bodied 440 Karosa was built in 1956 but did not enter production.

The 450 and the change of names

The 450 convertible arrived in 1958 with a more powerful version of the 1,089 cc engine, 37 kW at 5,500 rpm, and it was the rarest of the three at 1,010 cars. In 1959 the range was modernised with a revised front suspension and small body changes, and the names changed with it: the saloons and estates became the Octavia and Octavia Super, and the open car became the Felicia. In four years the original cars had sold 75,417 of the 440, 9,375 of the 445 and 1,010 of the 450.

Design and features

• Aluminium cylinder block: lighter than the cast-iron unit of the 1101, with a new carburettor and reworked ports.
• Independent suspension all round: transverse leaf springs at both ends, as on contemporary passenger cars.
• Number as specification: 440 meant four cylinders and about 40 hp, 445 about 45 hp.
• Export appeal: low price, reliability and modest fuel consumption sold the car in Western Europe and New Zealand.

Škoda 440 versions

• 440 Spartak (1955–1959): 1,089 cc, 29 kW, the volume model with 75,417 built.
• 445 (1957–1959): 1,221 cc, 33 kW, 9,375 built.
• 450 convertible (1958–1959): 1,089 cc, 37 kW, 1,010 built.
• Octavia (1959): the modernised 440 with a revised front axle.
• Felicia (1959): the open car under its new name.

The 440 gave way to the Škoda Octavia and preceded it in the range after the Škoda 1200. More cars are in the Škoda collection.

Video: My Skoda 440 Spartak

Video by Szebijani on YouTube.

Sources

• Škoda 440, English Wikipedia: versions, engines, production figures
• Škoda 440, Czech Wikipedia: Spartak name, engineering, updates, exports