Czechoslovak Cars: Škoda Favorit. Overview & Photos

Škoda Favorit

Škoda Favorit 136 L at the Bratislava Transport Museum (Bratislava, Slovakia)

The Škoda Favorit (Type 781) is a subcompact car that was made by Škoda Auto from 1987 to 1995. Initially it was only a five-door hatchback, but two other body styles were later added: a five-door station wagon in 1990 called the Škoda Forman (Type 785) and a two-door coupe utility truck in 1991 called the Škoda Pick-up (Type 787). The Favorit was Škoda’s first car to follow the European trend of locating the engine at the front, mounted transversely, and it was also the company’s first car to use front-wheel drive. The Favorit name had previously been used for the Type 904/923 models produced by Škoda from 1936 to 1941.

Favorit succeeded the aging rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive Škoda 105/120, and was a considerable move toward the modern mainstream in design terms thanks to its Bertone-designed hatchback body and front-wheel drive. The Favorit was replaced in 1994 by the Škoda Felicia, which was developed in cooperation with the Volkswagen Group, which by then owned Škoda Auto.

Overview

The Škoda Favorit was originally a five-door, five-seat hatchback. A five-door station wagon, the Škoda Forman, arrived in 1990. In 1991, a two-door, two-seat pickup truck, the Škoda Pick-up, joined the range. A company called MTX also built a roadster version, the MTX Roadster.

After Volkswagen took over Škoda in 1991, the Favorit improved quickly. New fuel-injected models with catalytic converters (Li, GLi and GLXi) were introduced, along with better door hinges, Volkswagen seats and interiors, upgraded dashboards, stronger door beams, and a redesigned front. In 1993, the car got engine upgrades, a facelift and bigger bumpers.

A few limited editions were also made. The Black Line had all-black paint, alloy wheels, a sunroof, tinted windows, power locks, a leather steering wheel and shift knob, and a Blaupunkt stereo. The Silver Line had the same equipment but came in metallic silver with black trim around the rear window. The very rare Solitaire had everything above plus a rear spoiler, an alarm system, power front windows and fuel injection. The Black Line and Silver Line were available as both hatchbacks and station wagons.

For all body styles, the powertrain of the Favorit used one internal-combustion gasoline engine: 1,289 cc (78.7 cu in), inline-four-cylinder, four-stroke, liquid-cooled, overhead-valve. This initially produced a rated power output of 46 kW (62 HP) at 5,000 rpm. It originally used either a Pierburg 2E-E Ecotronic single-barrel carburetor or a Pierburg Ecotronic dual-barrel carburetor.

The only transmission available was a five-speed manual gearbox of transaxle design, which also housed the differential and final drive units. Drive was through the front wheels.