1964 - The new Skoda Favorit

The article below was published in the current issue of Autó-Motor on 21 March 1964 and reports that the new Skoda, baptised "Favorit", will soon be on the market.

The rear light and cooling air outlet Image source: wiki / Alofok

It didn't, but the picture is even more poignant than it first appears. In fact, the Favorit was the name of the Skoda we all know, the last Czechoslovak model to make its debut in 1987, and it was produced between 1936 and 1941. The original Favorit, the Type 904, was fitted with an 802cc side-valve engine, followed in 1939 by the Favorit 2000, which had a 2091cc overhead-valve engine and was produced until 1941.
Neither model sold well, so Škoda stopped making them and the name was forgotten for a while. Although it looked for a moment in '64 as if the then new model would inherit the Favorit name in the christening, the beautiful new station wagon was eventually launched under its project name, 1000 MB.

The March 1964 article in full, which is mostly about the technical content of the car, using units of measurement no longer used. The author of the article did not sign his paper:

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Many people have asked us to introduce the new Skoda, which has been known as the 1000. Now, at last, we can do just that. We've managed to get the factory specs for the station wagon, which will officially be revealed as the SKODA FAVORIT. Unfortunately, we don't have any more photos or drawings yet, but with the publication of the following description, AM is now, apparently, ahead of all the world's motoring magazines in publishing the first authentic information about the promising little car from the Czechoslovakian car industry.

A 1964 1000 MB Image source: wiki / sludgeulper

MOTOR
Four-cylinder, four-stroke, in-line engine, bore 68 mm, stroke 68 mm, displacement 988 cm³. Compression ratio 8.3:1. Maximum engine power 42 SAE hp at 4650 f/p. Maximum torque 7 mkg at 3000 f/p. Engine power 41.9 SAE hp/liter. Petrol octane 85.
Poppet valves with pushrod and piston, chain-driven camshaft on the engine block side, light alloy cylinder head. Valve clearance cold: 0,15 mm dia., 0,20 mm w.
Valve timing: s.w., 11º fhe, s.w. 45º ahu., s.w., 40º ahe., and s.w. 13º fhu. Pressure oiling, lubricating oil fill 3.5 litres.
PAL 32 BST rainwater sprayer with injection and acceleration pump. Rotors 21, main nozzle 105, air main nozzle 108, idle nozzle 45, idle air nozzle 100, enrichment nozzle 42, acceleration nozzle 50, acceleration injection nozzle 42, pulley nozzle 80, needle valve 1,5.

That beautiful grid! Image source: wiki / Ralf Roletschek

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
12 volts, firing order 1-3-4-2, firing point 4º fhe. Automatic pre-ignition setting. Circuit breaker gap 0,3-0,4 mm. Spark plug type PAL Super 14-7. Battery 12 V, 35 Ao. Charging dynamo 12 V, 300 W. Starting motor PAL 0,8 HP.

Škoda Favorit (type 904) Škoda Auto Museum, Mlada Boleslav (1939) Image source: wiki / Ralf Roletschek

CRIMINAL
Water cooling with pump, pressurised cooling system, cooling system capacity 5.8 litres.

FORCEWARDS
Farm engine, rear-wheel drive, single disc, dry clutch with direct release. Four-speed gearbox, without direct drive, all gears synchronised, centre gear lever. Gear ratios:I 3.8:1, - II 2.12:1, - III 1.41:1, - IV 0.96:1, reverse 3.27:1, lubricating oil 2.5 litres, including differential. Final drive with helical gears, modification ratio 4.440:1.

Hungary, 1965, Tatabánya, Újvárosi residential area, Kós Károly (Schönherz Zoltán) utca. Image source. Documentation Centre (Váti)

CHASSIS AND WHEEL SUSPENSION
Self-supporting body, independent front suspension, trapezoidal-triangular wishbones, coil springs, hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers, stabiliser. Rear independent suspension, with oblique triangular arms, coil springs, hydraulic telescopic shock absorbers. Hydraulic brakes, brake oil 0.35 litres. Mechanical handbrake acting on rear wheels. Steering linkage with pulley and roller, symmetrical control arm, two-piece linkage rod. Wheel rim 4,5 X 14, tyre size 6,0-14, tubeless tyres.

Czechoslovakia, 1969, Hradec Králové, Velkém náměstí the main square of the town, on the left the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit. In the centre the column of St. Mary, behind it the White Bell Tower and the Old Town Hall. Photo source: Fortepan 263031 / Dr. Zoltán Iván

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase 2400 mm, track width 1280 mm front, 1250 mm rear, free height 175 mm. Four-door, four-seater bodywork. Overall vehicle length 4170 mm, width 1620 mm, height 1390 mm. Unladen weight 725 kg, curb weight 735 kg, maximum permissible gross laden weight 350 kg, maximum gross vehicle weight 1105 kg. Split boot, partly in the front of the vehicle and partly in the passenger compartment behind the rear row of seats, with a total capacity of 340 dm³.

PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed on flat ground 115-120 km/h. Fuel consumption at a cruising speed of 80 km/h 7 1it/100 km. Maximum permitted engine oil consumption 0,1 litre/100 km.

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