Listen up, young people: you probably think of Skoda as a brand that makes ordinary station wagons and SUVs very cool through its RS models. And it is.
But making the prosaic perform is something Skoda has been doing for decades. Back in the 1970s, when Skoda was the butt of many jokes, it made a dorky rear-engined sedan and coupe called the 100/110. And then it made that dorky car very cool by creating the 130 RS, which is now celebrating the 50th anniversary of its debut.
In fact, Skoda is claiming its classic racer is especially significant as it was the car that "introduced the RS – Rally Sport – designation, which has since become an iconic symbol of Škoda’s high-performance models."
That's kind of true as the 130 RS was based on the production 110 R coupe; but there were also two previous prototype competition cars made in 1974, the 180 RS and 200 RS.
But yes, it was the 180 RS that was produced in volume and went on to international successes on rally stages and racetracks, making the "Skoda RS" brand cool.
A month after its first public appearance in April 1975, the 130 RS (aka Type 735) finished third and fourth in the under 2.0-litre class of the European Touring Car Championship race in Brno.
It went on to win trophies both within the Eastern Bloc and on the international stage, where it faced tough competition from Western brands.
The 130 RS secured a class victory at the Monte Carlo Rally in 1977, finishing 12th overall. Other standout performances include eighth place in the overall rankings at the Acropolis Rally in 1979, and again in 1981.
The Skoda 130 RS also made a mark on the circuit racing scene, claiming the overall title in the 1981 European Touring Car Championship.
The Škoda 130 RS was powered by a liquid-cooled, rear-mounted 1.3-litre four-cylinder OHV engine. Over time, its output increased from the original 84kW to 106kW in the circuit racing version.
Thanks to the use of aluminium panels and fibreglass components, the racing car weighed just 720kg and could reach a top speed of 220km/h.
Around 200 examples of the Skoda 130 RS were produced, with dozens more built privately using factory-supplied components. Skoda even made a wild version with huge wings for improved aero, which you can read about here.
