The Škoda Garde, sold as the Rapid in some markets and renamed Rapid from 1984, was a fastback coupé built by AZNP from 1981 to 1990. It was derived from the rear-engined 105/120 saloons, replaced the 110 R, and brought a new semi-trailing-arm rear suspension that made it much better to drive than the cars it was based on.
Škoda Garde at a glance
| Maker | AZNP, Kvasiny and BAZ Bratislava |
|---|---|
| Production | 1981–1990 |
| Factory types | 743 (Garde, Rapid, Rapid 130), 747 (135, 136) |
| Basis | Škoda 120 LS saloon |
| Body | two-door fastback coupé |
| Layout | rear engine, rear-wheel drive |
| Engine | 1,174 cc, 55 PS (40 kW) at first |
| Gearbox | four-speed, five-speed in the 130 and later |
| Rear suspension | semi-trailing arms instead of the saloon’s swing axle |
| Built | 44,634 of all versions |
| Replaced | Škoda 110 R |
History of the Škoda Garde
A coupé for the new saloon
The Garde was shown at the Brno engineering fair in October 1981 and went into production in Kvasiny, with a few dozen cars sent to Bratislava as knock-down kits. It was derived from the 120 LS saloon: the front end was the same, but the windscreen was more raked, the roof lower and the tail sloped, and there was of course only one pair of doors. The engine was the 1,174 cc unit of 43 kW with a four-speed gearbox, and the front brakes were uprated four-piston discs. The most important change was at the back, where the saloon’s swing axle gave way to semi-trailing arms, a major step forward in handling. The Garde was also sold abroad as the Škoda 120 R and as the Škoda Rapid. In 1982 2,854 were built and in 1983 3,856, and 11,179 Gardes were made in all before production ended in 1984.
Rapid, 130, 135 and 136
From August 1984 the facelifted M-series car was sold simply as the Rapid, with larger headlamps and blocky black plastic bumpers, and the Garde name was dropped. The Rapid of 1984–1986, built in Kvasiny and Bratislava, was joined by the Rapid 130 with the 1,289 cc engine of 43 kW and a five-speed gearbox, of which 10,285 were made between August 1984 and July 1988. In 1987 came the Rapid 136 with an all-aluminium 1,289 cc engine and an eight-port cylinder head, giving 46 kW and 100 Nm, and the Rapid 135 with the same engine at a lower compression ratio and 43 kW. The 135 ran until August 1990 with 1,272 cars, the 136 with 9,708, and export versions with Bendix fuel injection were badged 135 Ri and 135 RiC with a catalytic converter. Cars built at BAZ in Bratislava were known for poorer build quality, and BAZ stopped in 1987 after 3,280 Gardes and Rapids. The British magazine Autocar called the Rapid a beginner’s course to the Porsche 911, because of its rear engine and rear drive, and the cars became known as the poor man’s Porsche; only 50 were left on British roads in 2011.
Convertibles and racing
A convertible was offered in Britain by Škoda GB: standard coupés were converted by Ludgate Design & Development in Kent, with extra chassis bracing and a T-shaped roll bar, and at just under £5,000 it was the cheapest convertible on the British market, with 334 cars converted. Metalex converted about 12 cars in Czechoslovakia and the Austrian firm Stift & Graf about 20; Czech sources count 343 British conversions. Metalex also built the MTX 160 RS, a Group B rally car with a 1,600 cc VAZ engine of 118 kW, of which three prototypes were made and which never received homologation.
Design and features
- Semi-trailing-arm rear suspension: a much safer arrangement than the swing axle of the saloons.
- Coupé body on saloon mechanicals: the same rear engine layout with a lower, more aerodynamic shape.
- Four-piston front brakes: discs with four-pot calipers from the start.
- Rear-engine character: the layout that earned the car its poor man’s Porsche nickname.
Škoda Garde versions
- Garde (1981–1984): 1,174 cc, 55 PS, four-speed, 11,179 built.
- Rapid (1984–1986): the facelifted coupé with black bumpers, 12,190 built.
- Rapid 130 (1984–1988): 1,289 cc, 58 PS, five-speed, 10,285 built.
- Rapid 135 and 136 (1987–1990): aluminium 1.3 engines with eight-port heads.
- Rapid Cabriolet: 334 British conversions by LDD.
- MTX 160 RS: three Group B rally prototypes.
The Garde replaced the Škoda 110 R and was based on the Škoda 105/120 saloons. More cars are in the Škoda collection.
Video: Skoda Garde 1984 – Slovak General Lee
Video by Martin Šimon on YouTube.
Sources
- Škoda Garde/Rapid, English Wikipedia: development, suspension, versions, British convertible, press quotes
- Škoda 743, Czech Wikipedia: production figures, versions, BAZ quality, conversions, MTX 160 RS
