1905 Laurin & Klement Voiturette Type A

1905 Laurin & Klement Voiturette Type A

The first Skoda model ever produced, the Voiturette A, came to the UK for the very first time to take part in the 2010 edition of the world famous London to Brighton Veteran Car Run (LBVCR).

The origins of what was to become Skoda Auto began in 1894, when Vaclav Laurin (a mechanic) and Vaclav Klement (a bookseller in Mlada Boleslav) established a bicycle repair shop. By 1899 they were manufacturing bicycles and in 1905 they produced their first automobile, the Laurin & Klement Voiturette A (Laurin & Klement being the original name of the Skoda brand pre-1925), in the city of Mlada Boleslav - where the Skoda factory remains today. Around one hundred Voiturette A models were produced between 1905 and 1907.

The Voiturette A model which will run on this weekend's LBVCR was built in 1906. It took five years to restore and is housed in the Skoda Auto Museum, situated within the grounds of the main factory in Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic.

The rear-wheel drive Voiturette A (which is French for 'little car') is powered by a four-stroke, two-cylinder SV engine, which produces 7bhp and has a top speed of 25mph. There is no battery, only a low voltage magneto, and there are no spark plugs, but an originally used 'breaker'.

Descriptions & pictures by wikipedia & simanaitissays & Other links