BETTER PARTSSkoda Felicia: launch 20 years ago
Mladá Boleslav, 17 October 2014
On 17 October 1994 the first of a new generation Skoda Felicia rolled off. While the name was already known from a beautiful convertible from the 1950 / 60's, the car was completely new. The 1994 Felicia was the first child of Volkswagen and Skoda ?? the Wolfsburg group acquired the Director in Mladá Boleslav three years earlier. The Felicia broke the previous favorite and Forman ( the estate version of the favorite) from and shared with the VW Polo some components.
Baptized with water Moldova
Only nine days after the start of production, on 26 October 1994, three were in the Czech national colors painted Skoda Felicia on the Charles Bridge in Prague by the then Mayor of Prague in January Koukal baptized with water Moldova. One of the first vehicles were the spouses Ondráček, proud parents of nine-month-old quadruplets.
Pick-up and Fun Version
As a basic engine first came a 1.3 - liter gasoline engine with 54 or 68 hp used, from 1995 there was also a 1.6 - liter petrol engine with 75 hp and a 1.9 - liter diesel with 64 hp. Also in 1995 appeared the Felicia Combi as a practical family car. And: There was a pick-up, which was also offered later in a closed version called Vanplus. The pick-up in turn transformed by the manufacturer in a recreational vehicle named " Felicia Fun" ?? a somewhat unusual two-seater with two additional folding seats in the open air. In addition, approximately 18,500 units of the pick-up version was produced as a VW Caddy high roof combi and sold.
Success in motor sport
The Skoda Felicia rolled reputation firmly on. The first model of the brand of Compact offered two airbags and ABS were added comfort features such as air conditioning, electrically heated front seats and leather seat covers in the top model Laurin & Klement. In international motor racing the VW - child with mixed success. Three seasons of the long Felicia from 1995 to 1997 at the World Rally Championship in use. Already in the first season landed the Skoda Felicia Kit Car in third place in its class. Stig Blomqvist in 1996 reached the third place in the overall ranking on the British RAC Rally. Finally, in 1997, the compact Czech was even second in his class of the World Rally Championship. Subsequently operation Skoda his rallying activities with the Octavia WRC.
Extensively revised 1998
In February 1998, the Felicia has been thoroughly revised, the manufacturer trimmed the model to the new design line of the brand, which was introduced two years earlier with the Octavia. After exactly 1,401,489 vehicles ( five-door hatchback, Combi, Pick-up, Vanplus and Fun) ran in 2001, the last Felicia from the band. His successor Fabia was published in 1999 ?? its already the third generation comes from mid-November 2014 in the trade . (HD)