Regent Street to bridge 104 years of Skoda Auto history

It’s been 104 years in the planning, but this weekend Skoda’s rich automotive history will be celebrated when the newest and oldest models drive between London and Brighton.

First off will be the 2010 Skoda Fabia GreenLine II Estate, which will run in the inaugural Brighton to London Future Car Challenge (BLFCC); an event designed to showcase the future of the motor car. Equipped with a new 1.2 TDI CR DPF engine with state-of-the-art fuel-saving technologies, including stop-start and energy recuperation, the Fabia GreenLine II Estate is the cleanest and most efficient car ever to wear the Skoda badge. Its three-cylinder unit produces 75bhp, has a top speed of 107mph, returns 83.1mpg on a combined cycle, and emits just 89g/km of CO2.

The BLFCC will start from Madeira Drive, on Brighton’s seafront, on Saturday (6 November) at 08.00, with cars leaving at 30 second intervals. There will be a halfway stop at Central Sussex Technical College in Crawley before the finish at Pall Mall and St James’s Square in central London (10.45-12.15).  There, all participating vehicles will be checked for their energy consumed during the 60-mile run from Brighton. The Ceremonial Finish will be in Regent Street at 15.00.

Regent Street will then bridge 104 years of illustrious Skoda Auto history, as the 2010 Fabia GreenLine II Estate will be on display adjacent to the 1906 Voiturette A, which will be awaiting the start of the following day‘s London to Brighton Veteran Car Run (LBVCR).

Despite the age gap, both cars were built at Skoda‘sfactory in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic – albeit on a slightly different production line, but with the high quality and attention to detail which Skoda has become famous for.

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

The start of the 77th running of the LBVCR takes place on Sunday (7 November) in Hyde Park (07.00-08.30). From there, around 500 cars will make the 60 mile journey to the finish on Madeira Drive on Brighton’s seafront (10.00-16.40).