60 years ago, at the end of 1957, the construction of the ŠKODA 1100 OHC racing car came to the end. A car with an internal type designation 968 was originally intended for endurance racing circuits, its development started in the spring of 1956. First, two open cars were built, and in 1959 two couples joined. The red open special can be admired in the collections of the ŠKODA Museum in Mladá Boleslav.
"The ŠKODA 1100 OHC, which is an excellent example of Czech engineering and design art, is one of the milestones of the SKODA's 116-year engagement in motor sport," says Andrea Frydlová, Head of ŠKODA Museum.
The development of a two-seat sports car began in the spring of 1956. The ŠKODA 1100 OHC rally car drives a longitudinally mounted four-cylinder, four-cylinder, four-cylinder, From a displacement of 1089 cm3, it delivers 92 horsepower at 7700 rpm, the rpm maximum is at 8500 rpm. At the time of its inception, it dipped its top liter capacity at 85 k / l, originally burning high-octane aviation gasoline, flowing into two carburetors of the Czechoslovak brand Jikov, later Italian production WEBER.
A racing car with a 2200 mm wheelbase and an external dimension of 3880 x 1430 x 964 mm, with a body made of very light fiberglass, weighs just 550 kg. It is not surprising therefore its rapid acceleration and maximum speed of 190 to 200 km / h (according to the selected permanent gear). However, the low aerodynamic drag is also an important and elegant body. Its first variant was also attracted by a pair of hinged main headlamps, but they soon retreated to a more practical solution with built-in fixed headlamps with aerodynamic covers made of organic glass.
Unlike the previous models ŠKODA Sport and Supersport, using the robust chassis of the SKODA 1101 series, the 1100 OHC special frame is based on a space frame welded from thin-walled steel tubes. Excellent driving performance contributes to an ideal weight distribution for axles, with the driver weighing 75 kg (49.7: 50.3%) in favor of the rear axle. The clutch, the five-speed gearbox and the gearbox were centered at the rear, forming a single assembly unit. Independent suspension of the wheels, the trapezoidal axle on the front, trailing triangular curtains with a sloping swinging axis are also important. Accurate and steep steering is controlled by a three-spoke steering wheel that is removable for ease of entry. In the late 1950s, the progressive elements included suspension of 15-inch wire wires with torsion bars.
The public premiere and the first victory of the ŠKODA 1100 OHC, run by an experienced member of the factory racing team Miroslav Fousk, was recorded at the end of June 1958 at the Mladá Boleslav city ring road. The cockpit of these specials were also used by competitors Václav Bobek st., Václav Čížkovský, Josef Vidner and Jaroslav Bobek. In addition to domestic sporting events, they also achieved successes abroad, given the difficult political situation at the turn of the 1950s and 1960s, however, the engagement of the racing car from Mladá Boleslav was limited to socialist countries.
After a pair of open-wagons with a laminated bodywork built at the end of 1957, two closed-end ŠKODA 1100 OHC Coupé cars with an aluminum body were followed in 1959. In the larger coupé, the 618 kg very low weight was achieved and the high speed was maintained.
Unfortunately, in the later years, both couples were damaged by civilian crashes, but the ŠKODA Museum of Restoration Workshops are currently intensively preparing the rebirth of the ŠKODA 1100 OHC Coupé on the basis of the survival chassis and the aggregate of one of them.
Both open cars have been preserved, a specimen of ŠKODA Museum is exhibited in the main exhibition and also has been successfully participating in domestic and foreign veteran events. The second car - owned by the official representation of ŠKODA UK - serves to promote the Mladá Boleslav brand especially on the territory of Great Britain.
Source: tz, Škoda-auto.cz