Škoda Popular was successfully deployed at the Monte Carlo Rally. Years later, the carmaker decided to pay homage to her modern interpretation.
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This year, Škoda Auto is celebrating 125 years of its existence. That’s why he remembers the most famous cars in his history, even through his designers. They decided to interpret historic cars using their modern reincarnations. And since Škoda did also take part in car racing for decades, this time it was the turn of the famous Škoda Popular Sport Monte Carlo.
Ljudmil Slavov is behind its modern interpretation. This Bulgarian designer, who has lived in the Czech Republic for 20 years and has been working in the Škoda Auto design department for three years, in the interior department. In this case, however, he designed the entire car.
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“The popular Monte Carlo is one of the most beautiful cars ever, it has appealed to me with its history. He has incredible elegance and taste, “ Slavov explains the reasons why his design is reminiscent of this very iconic history of the carmaker.
The car became a legend at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1936, where the Škoda Popular Sport with the Pohl – Hausman crew finished in second place in the competition. its category and the twentieth overall, which was a great success for the brand at the time. And such that the carmaker reacted by building a road version of the racing special, called the Škoda Popular Sport Monte Carlo. It was produced in Mladá Boleslav in a total of seventy pieces with coupe and roadster bodies.
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It was the open variant that the Bulgarian designer decided to follow, which, as a member of the interior department, he justifies by saying that such a vision can show more to his cabin. By the way, this may also be related to the fact that in the workshops of the Škoda Museum, a roadster is now being prepared for a complete renovation, which will complement the previously renovated coupe.
“The interior of the original roadster is elegant and practical,” says the designer, which, according to him, also refers to today’s brand principles. Slavov also preserved the motif of the original in the form of a speedometer located in the middle of the dashboard. In the spirit of modern times, however, it consists of a kind of hologram, which is complemented by modern displays showing the most important data, on the site of the original storage spaces.
Behind the seats of the concept, there is a storage space in which two racing helmets are stored under a glass cover. “I was thinking about putting two child seats here and making the car a little more practical, following the example of the serial convertibles of the time, but in the end the sports side won for me,” says Slavov, who considers himself a passionate cyclist. The original roadster used to have a folding seat mockingly nicknamed the mother-in-law seat.
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External aerodynamic shapes are then pure modern. However, the author emphasizes that the flowing stern with a pronounced “fin” refers to the original. The radiator grille is unique. “I tried different vertical configurations that would be closer to the original, but such an arrangement is a bit problematic for cars today, so I ended up on a different path.” describes its concept of the bow, where the grille of the radiator grille passes further into the area of the headlights, creating an effect for which the original is so valued.
The logo used is also special. Instead of the carmaker’s emblem, the car was given a red circle as the main graphic motif, which bore the Monte Carlo inscription next to the original, but the author placed a stylized model designation in it. And the carmaker’s name is printed on the front of the car in a modern font according to the current graphics of the brand. “The classic logo seemed too retro for the mask and the font makes a more valuable and elegant impression.” says a former student at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design (UMPRUM).
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