Here is an unexpected find by Staxman at the Cohort, a 1960 Škoda Octavia roaming the streets of the USA. And mind you, this is not a recent gray import from a Cold War period-obsessed fan. It’s actually one of about 2500 or so Škodas originally sold on US soil between 1957 to 1967.
Škoda 440, at the 1958 Imported Car Show of Los Angeles.
With the sale of European imports growing in the US during the 1950s, it was only natural more Continental carmakers would join in the fun. Czech carmaker Škoda was one of many to try their luck, with their newly launched Felicia and Octavia models reaching US shores in 1960. It didn’t take long for Škoda to realize its products didn’t meet US needs, and quickly took to other pastures. The ’57-’67 timeline is a deceptive one for the failed endeavor. Most of Škoda’s US sales happened in the first 2-3 years after steep discounts took place. Information is scant, but whatever sales happened afterward probably amount to a few dozen. If that.
The lack of luck on US soil doesn’t mean the Octavia wasn’t a sophisticated car. After all, it came from the nation of Hans Ledwinka, the influential Austrian designer behind the groundbreaking Tatras of the 1930s. And the Octavia took after some of that proud tradition. The little car carried much from its 440 forebear; with a central tube chassis, and all-around independent suspension with telescopic shock absorbers. Power was supplied by either 1089cc or 1221cc I4 engines, providing from 40 to 55 HP depending on mill size and state of tune.
The modest performance and sophisticated thinking behind Škoda’s products would bring them better luck elsewhere. Škodas found enough of a market in some Western European nations, and in Latin America developed a decent customer base. Škodas were even assembled in Chile for a few years.
As explained in its original Cohort post, Staxman met the owner of this 1960 Octavia. Thus, we know a good part of the vehicle’s history. This little Octavia reached Los Angeles in 1960 and retailed for a not-modest $1,878; including a heater & defroster, and whitewall tires. For comparison, a base 2-door Corvair went for $1984 and a 4-door Falcon for $1974. Options or not, it was a rather steep cost for an unknown brand. The vehicle finally sold in Seattle a year later at a loss for a mere $999.
The Octavia’s original owner drove it for five years before an electrical problem took it off the road. With Škoda parts not being necessarily common back then (or since), the car sat unused for 52 years. Naturally, its current owner went through much trouble to revive the little critter.
Glancing into the engine bay it’s clear some liberties have been taken to make this Octavia roadworthy again. According to its current owner, a Ford F-100 master cylinder has replaced the original, all thanks to a similar bore size. The modern-looking alternator is another obvious mod.
But in my book, originality can take a back seat in order to revive an old ride. First and most important; to get the car running. Whatever bits may be missing can be tracked down later. After all, in the case of something like a ’60s Škoda, some stuff may never be found.
Talking about revivals, once VW bought Škoda Auto in the ’90s, the Octavia name was revived for their new Mk4-based model. Not the first model under the new venture, but the clearest sign of a new direction for the Czech brand. But that’s a story for another day.
Further reading:
Curbside Classic: 1961 Skoda Octavia Combi – Boxy Czech Checks Boxes
My maternal grandfather, who lived in Derby in England, bought one of these new in the early 1960s when he retired. I seem to remember finlettes on the rear wings. The Skoda was sold as being well equipped by the standards of the day when bumper over riders and a heater would cost extra on a small Morris or English Ford. The Skoda had a roller blind on the radiator for cold weather, but I can’t remember how it was operated.
Fun fact, the front and rear windscreens were interchangeable.
Toured the Skoda factory in Czech Rep. just prior to COVID with a large museum at the entrance. I do remember seeing a similar car plus many others on display. Trip of a life time. Factory was running at full blast at the time to keep up.
Oddly enough, a brand I was familiar with during my childhood (I am of Slovak ancestry, and lived in a town with incredibly strong Eastern European ethnic enclaves) although I’ve never actually seen one in the metal. Even in a town like ours, the McCarthyist anti-communist attitude way overwhelmed any desire to own a car from the old country.
Sorry, things never go any stranger in Johnstown, PA than the occasional 50’s Hillman Minx or Humber Super Snipe.
A friend of mine in the Seattle area has told me that his father had a Tatra T600 in the early 1950s. It was prone to snap oversteer in the wet. At the time there were Tatra dealerships in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood and in Vancouver, B.C. The badge on the front of the car said, “Tatra – Czechoslovakia,” and my friend said the few U.S. Tatra owners would get hate notes on their cars. His father had written to Czechoslovakia for parts, and that prompted the FBI to open a file on him.
I saw this very car just a couple of weeks ago, here in Seattle.
Wow!! What a find! I’m aware of these cars, though I’m not sure if it’s from actually seeing one or two as a kid, or just from ads, books and magazines. But they cast in my mind the definition of a Škoda. When I see Škoda police cars in modern British TV crime shows, I’m still sub-consciously confused why the cops that a generation or two back would be driving Rovers or Jags, or at least Vauxhalls, are driving Czech cars. More cognitively dissonant than all the Kia police cars I’ve seen on British and even Icelandic TV.
I’d considered myself pretty knowledgeable about import cars in the US. While prowling a salvage yard in Western Michigan, I saw an obvious import. I didn’t recognize it other that they styling said late 50’s. After several minutes of searching, I saw the Made in Czechoslovakia tag under the hood. Then I remember that Skoda had made a brief appearance over here.
Wow – incredible find and story to go along with it! I hadn’t realized that Skodas were sold in the US until I’d researched the brand for an article about a modern Skoda that I wrote a few years ago. Amazing that there were only about 2,500 or so imported over a full decade.
Here’s a Skoda ad from 1960, too:
“Service and Parts From Coast to Coast” – I somehow doubt that…
These were fairly popular in Austria in the 50s and into the 60s. I rode in one, actually. My father’s sister and her husband had one in the late 50s; a 440, the earlier version of the Octavia. They came to visit us in Innsbruck in 1959 and took my mom and me on a memorable ride into Northern Italy, of which I still have some clear memories.
I cannot remember ever seeing one in the US (Iowa and MD) back in the day, so I assumed they weren’t imported until I learned otherwise some years back.
These were tough and well-built cars, with a good ride of crude roads thanks to their fully independent suspensions.
Kind of a cute little buggy.
I remember seeing these around as a kid in Australia. Not common (like, say Fiat, Renault, or the British brands), but common enough that I knew what they were. I suspect a weak importer and parts supply took them off the road.
I didn’t know Škodas were ever sold in the U.S., but they did make a bigger impact in Canada where they were sold until 1989. I did see a few Rapids or Estelles in Montreal (I think that’s what they were), rear-engined with a side-hinged front cargo compartment IIRC. Hyundai sold a more modern car for less money and likely cut deeply into Škoda (and Lada) sales.
This is an amazing find – how many original US-market Skodas can still exist? I’d be surprised if more than 10 of them are still around. I miss the era (which was mostly before my time) when American safety/pollution/etc standards were mostly the same as the rest of the world’s, and thus it was feasible for low-volume imports to peddle their wares here. I wish it would return; America’s unique standards act as protectionism for our homegrown manufacturers. Sorry to get all political but as a consumer I like having more choices; as it is, even the imports that are sold here are sold in only a small number of varieties, not the plethora of drivetrain and trim options available abroad.
Although there were never many around, I remember seeing them at the Toronto auto show in the 80s. I now live in a small town in Ontario and there was a Favorit here until the last year or so, but I never saw it on the road, only parked behind a house.
I saw one of the rear-engine Škodas in Vancouver, B.C., in the early to mid-1980s. There was a Škoda dealership in the West End of Vancouver, although I never set foot in it.
Like Peter Wilding, I can remember these on Australian roads. I believe they have the distinction of having the same glass in windscreen/windshield as in rear window. Until I saw CC’s recent reference to a tiny Citroen with identical front and rear panels, I thought this model of Octavia was the only one. Are there any other candidates?
Wow, what an amazing survivor .
I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in the flesh (so to speak) and here’s one driving ’round .
Looking at the bare frame in the L.A. Auto Show picture I can imagine they were built to be mercilessly thrashed over bad roads, this probably made them fun to drive too .
Make no mistake : the emissions were the last stand at getting rid of imports, they were almost all DEATH TRAPS worse than that poor ’59 Chevy in the poo toob video .
-Nate
The town I’m from had a dealership which was a catchall for then obscure nameplates from the Brits [Vauxall, Rover) Germany (pre-GM Opel; Borgward); and the Czechs’ Skoda. A family friend who turned wrenches for a living quipped about the Skoda, “No matter what color you paint it, it’s always Red!”
My dad had one of these in green – I remember it being great in the snow, getting up steep hills where all around us were bogged down. It got replaced by a Hillman Imp…..
A remarkable find. Congrats to the owner for keeping it on the road, too.
As Pete Wilding mentions above, they were sold in Australia, and I’ve a vague recollection of seeing one somewhere as a kid in the ’70’s. It’s incredible that Skoda thought that RHD and export to a place so remote that it may as well have been another planet, was worth the bother.
I know I have occasionally mentioned a dislike for swing axles, though, as I’m sure most here would agree, I have largely kept my thoughts to myself. Or not, I forget.
But I have to add that some years ago, I did find somewhere a period road test of this car – it would’ve been UK – and even back in those more genteel times, they had a big complaint about the unpredictable behaviour of the rear end. For it to rise to the level of actual complaint back then, it must’ve been really bad indeed.