Skoda
Czechoslovakia was always famous for its engineering prowess. In the mid 1920's Skoda bought the long established car maker Laurin & Klement and got into car manufacturing, initially building Hispano Suiza under licence. Post war they re started under a new Communist system, the state took over in 1948. Postwar the 1101 model with 4 cylinder 1100cc engine had independent suspension and the central tube chassis of the prewar cars, and by 1952 these tough cars evolved into the Skoda 1200 with the 1220 cc engine. For 1955 the Skoda 440 model, which with a later face lift became the Octavia, with the Felicia the open version. Later came the rear engine monocoque 1000 MB which was continually modernised up to 1980. 1976 saw the new range of rear engined models designated 105, 120 and 125 models which continued to 1990. Privatisation to the Volkswagen group started in the 1990's.
One other interesting point is that in 1951 Tatra production of the new 600 Tatraplan moved to Skoda (who built over 2,000 of them), as the Communist party decreed the Tatra factory should concentrate on building railway equipment, trucks and buses.
