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settembre 14, 2018 - Skoda

50 years of the ŠKODA 1203: Reliable all-round van with cult status

Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. 

Press release available only in original language. 

  • The ŠKODA 1203 with front cab-over body was introduced half a century ago
  • Compact #van was manufactured at the Czech plant in Vrchlabí and at Trnava in Slovakia
  • Independently designed packhorse is deeply embedded in homeland pop culture thanks to numerous appearances in popular Czechoslovak films and TV series
Mladá Boleslav, 14 September 2018 – The ŠKODA 1203, the most widely used Czechoslovak commercial vehicle of the 20th century, is celebrating its 50th birthday. The #van, which was designed as a forward-control pickup, premiered on 14 September 1968 at an engineering fair in Brno. The ŠKODA 1203 was omnipresent in its day and literally accompanied Czechs and Slovaks from cradle to grave – because ambulance and hearse versions were available, as well as countless other variants including microbuses, delivery vans and trucks, workshop vehicles and many more.
The history of the ŠKODA 1203 reflects many peculiarities of the centrally controlled planned economy in post-war Czechoslovakia. The development of a light commercial vehicle with an advanced self-supporting body in a practical one-box design had begun in Vrchlabí in the second half of the 1950s – but production was not launched until 1968. The ŠKODA 1203 celebrated its premiere on Saturday, September 14 1968 at the International Engineering Fair in Brno.

Further information in the press release to download