Škoda L&K 130, the car created by the brand's design students that revives its cycling origins

Although today it is known as one of Europe’s leading car manufacturers, Škoda began its journey in the market as a bicycle manufacturer. Yes, that was a long time ago, but this was the brand’s origin, much as Peugeot began as a maker of tools and coffee grinders. In the case of the Czech brand, those origins are represented in the new project born at the Škoda Academy.

28 students from this design academy took part in developing the Škoda L&K 130. The work was carried out on a Škoda Superb Combi. The transformation has been complete and the result is a very attractive and surprising vehicle. The colour chosen for the bodywork is also meant to pay tribute to the brand’s founders, Václav Laurin and Václav Klement. Both began manufacturing bicycles in 1895.

2,000 hours of work

The 28 students from the academy spent a total of 2,000 hours on the design, development and manufacturing of this prototype. The car is meant to be a support vehicle for cycling competitions. As a novelty, it should be noted that this is the first time a Škoda Superb Combi has been used as a base, and it also features a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

The model has been turned into a pick-up with a sliding side rear door, which makes access to the rear area very easy. The roof has been removed at the rear and the B and C pillars have been reinforced to support the weight of the bicycles without the roof’s reinforcement.

The cargo area can be extended rearwards by an electric system and includes two bike racks as standard. When this cargo area is retracted, the bike racks tilt 35º and the model’s size is the same as that of a traditional Superb Combi. On the roof rack there is room for a third bicycle, so it can carry up to three of them.

As for the engine, it uses the same plug-in hybrid powertrain. It consists of a 1.5-litre TSI engine producing 150 CV, working together with an electric motor so that a combined output of 204 CV is reached. The 25.7 kWh battery allows quite an interesting electric-only mode, which makes it an ideal vehicle to serve as support in a cycling race.

The bodywork colours, red, white, gold and black, form part of Škoda’s cycling tradition, and the interior has been designed to serve cyclists as well as possible, with screens showing race data. A cool box has also been added at the rear to carry water bottles and refreshments for the cyclists.

Like the previous ones, this concept model will not be available on the market, but it remains in the brand’s history as the work of the professionals who will later design cars for Škoda.

Technical specifications of this car

HatchbackSkoda Superb48 versions · from 47,000 €