The Škoda Popular was a small family car built by Škoda from 1933 to 1946 and, for most of that time, the company’s most affordable model. It introduced the backbone chassis with independent suspension that Škoda used until the 1000 MB, and it came in a wide spread of bodies, from a delivery van to the Monte Carlo roadster.
Škoda Popular at a glance
| Maker | Škoda, Mladá Boleslav |
|---|---|
| Production | 1933–1946 |
| Chassis | backbone tube with independent suspension |
| Bodies | tudor, four-door saloon, cabriolet, roadster, van, ambulance |
| First model | 420 Standard of 1933, 995 cc, 20 hp |
| Later engines | 845, 902, 995, 1,089 and 1,386 cc |
| Popular OHV (1937) | 995 cc, 27 hp, 100 km/h |
| Popular 1101 (1940) | 1,089 cc, 32 hp |
| Market share | 14% in 1933, 39% in 1938 |
| Successor | Škoda 1101/1102 Tudor |
History of the Škoda Popular
A new chassis from Tatra’s idea
In the early 1930s Škoda introduced a line of cars quite different from its earlier products. Under chief engineer Vladimír Matouš the company developed a backbone-tube chassis with independent suspension all round, following the principle Hans Ledwinka had introduced at Tatra, to cure the lack of torsional stiffness of a ladder frame. It was first used on the Škoda 420 Standard of 1933 and then became the basis of four ranges: the Popular with engines from 845 to 1,089 cc, the Rapid from 1,165 to 1,766 cc, the Favorit from 1,802 to 2,091 cc and the Superb from 2,492 to 3,991 cc. The strategy worked: Škoda held 14 per cent of the Czechoslovak market in 1933, third behind Praga and Tatra, and by 1936 it was the market leader, with 39 per cent in 1938.
The models, one by one
The 420 Standard of 1933 was a two-door saloon with a 2,430 mm wheelbase and a 995 cc side-valve four of 20 hp; 421 were built. The 418 Popular of 1934 was smaller, with a 902 cc engine of 18 hp, a 2,300 mm wheelbase and a choice of two-door saloon, four-seat convertible, two-seat roadster and a van with a 300 kg payload; only 200 were made. In 1934 a team of seven Czechoslovaks drove four Popular convertibles from Prague to Calcutta, 14,900 km through Turkey, Syria, Afghanistan and India, arriving on 10 September. The name then passed to the 420 Popular of 1934–1937, with the wheelbase lengthened to 2,430 mm in 1935, a more raked radiator grille and a four-door saloon with suicide doors added; 4,200 were built, including 330 two-door convertibles for the Czechoslovak Army. The Popular Special Sport of 1934 was a closed two-seater with 26 hp, renamed Popular Special in 1936. A Popular 420 Sport with an aluminium coupé body was built in 20 examples for a 1,000-mile race that was never held. After Zdeněk Pohl and Jaroslav Hausman finished second in the 1,500 cc class on the 1936 Monte Carlo Rally, Škoda launched the Popular Monte Carlo with the 1,386 cc engine of the Rapid and ATE-Lockheed brakes, in roadster, roadster de luxe and coupé sport forms; King Peter II of Yugoslavia had a two-door convertible. Only 72 were built.
OHV engines and the end
In 1937 Škoda gave the 995 cc engine overhead valves: the Popular OHV produced 27 hp, reached 100 km/h and was as economical as the side-valve car, and 5,510 were built to 1938. In 1938 the engine grew to 1,089 cc and 30 hp, and the Popular 1100 OHV gained hydraulic brakes; 6,600 were made until 1946. The 995 cc Popular ‘Liduška’ of 1939 had a new, more upright body with a curved grille and was built as a saloon, van and ambulance, 1,500 in all. The Popular 1101 of 1940 used the same body with 32 hp, a gearbox moved forward into a single unit with the engine and clutch, and a new grille with horizontal ribs; 1,019 were built until 1944. After the war that body was revised into the Škoda 1101/1102 Tudor.
Design and features
- Backbone chassis: a central tube with independent suspension, far stiffer than a ladder frame and used by Škoda until 1969.
- Many bodies: tudor, saloon, cabriolet, roadster, van and ambulance from the same running gear.
- Popular Special and Monte Carlo: sporting versions, the latter with the 1.4-litre Rapid engine.
- Commercial success: the range took Škoda from third place at home to market leader by 1936.
Škoda Popular versions
- 420 Standard (1933): 995 cc, 20 hp, 421 built.
- 418 Popular (1934): 902 cc, 18 hp, 200 built.
- 420 Popular (1934–1937): 995 cc, 4,200 built.
- Popular Special and Monte Carlo: sporting models, 72 Monte Carlos built.
- Popular OHV (1937–1938): 995 cc, 27 hp, 5,510 built.
- Popular 1100 OHV and 1101: 1,089 cc, 30 and 32 hp, built to 1946.
The Popular’s chassis also underpinned the larger Škoda Superb, and its last version led to the Škoda 1101 and 1102. More cars are in the Škoda collection.
Sources
- Škoda Popular, English Wikipedia: chassis, model history, engines, rally, production figures
- Škoda Popular, Czech Wikipedia: model types, dimensions, equipment, production numbers
.jpg){kind=link}