Škoda 1000 MB

Škoda
Škoda 1100 MB de Luxe
1000 MB / 1100 MB / 1000 MBX / 1100 MBX / 1000 MBG
Production period:	1964-1969
Class :	Middle class
Body versions :	Limousine , coupe
Engines:	Petrol engines : 1.0-1.1 liters (30.9-38.2 kW)
Length:	4170 mm
Width:	1620 mm
Height:	1390 mm
Wheelbase :	2400 mm
Empty weight :	765-820 kg
Previous model	Škoda 440 Octavia
successor	Škoda 100

Coupé 1100 MBX without B-pillars and rear doors, with the simplified air intakes on the rear fenders

The Škoda 1000 MB and Škoda 1100 MB , as a more powerful variant, were medium-sized car models from the Czechoslovak automobile manufacturer AZNP (Škoda), which replaced the Octavia on April 2, 1964 . Other variants were the model 1100 MBX as a coupé. MB  stands for the main factory M ladá B oleslav , the four-digit number for the cylinder capacity rounded up or down . A rear engine was chosen as the drive concept, which heralded a new era at Škoda. Vehicles with a front engine were only produced again from 1987 in the form of the Škoda Favorit .

Model history

Internal letters from AZNP stated that a new vehicle had to be economical to run, but had to have good performance characteristics. The aim was therefore to develop an engine with a small displacement and a lightweight body in order to achieve lower fuel consumption. The plan was to produce 600 vehicles a day, which would increase production fivefold. Development of the vehicle began in 1956, the first prototypes were created in 1957:

• Škoda 976 with a water-cooled front engine with four cylinders and front-wheel drive
• Škoda 977 with rear engine and rear drive . The 977 / I version had an air-cooled boxer engine , the 977 / II a water-cooled in- line engine with four cylinders.
• Škoda 978 with a water-cooled front engine with four cylinders and rear-wheel drive . The vehicle failed because production would have cost 15% more than the other two variants.

The designers opted for a four-door rear-engined sedan with a self-supporting steel body. The engine block was made of die-cast aluminum ; the maximum speed was 120 km / h, with later models 125 km / h. After the 1964 Brno Motor Show , series production began in the Mladá Boleslav plant, which was specially built for the 1000 MB .

In the course of time there have been several changes in line with the zeitgeist. The first vehicles had many chrome-plated decorative and add-on parts, curved lines and a panoramic rear window . In his successors, the chrome was replaced by plastic and simpler lines. Individual decorative elements such as the rear light surround and the trim strip on the vehicle front were made of chrome-plated hard plastic. The curved air inlets ("elephant ears") to the engine gave way to rectangular, flat air inlets as early as 1968. The first versions had position lights on the C-pillar , which were identical to those of the Tatra 603 . The rear lights were the same as on the Škoda 1203 .

No station wagon model of the 1000 MB went into series production, which is why the previous Skoda station wagons with a front engine ( Škoda 1202 , Skoda Octavia Combi ) continued to be built in parallel. The successor to the MB series was the Škoda 100 series since 1969 .

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  Tank filler neck in the front fender

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  Škoda 1000 MB with the first “elephant ear” used as an air inlet

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  Spare wheel in front under the trunk

engine and gears

The engine was a four-cylinder, four- stroke, in-line engine with a displacement of 998 cm³ (bore × stroke = 68 mm × 68 mm). In the first version it made 45 HP (SAE) at 4650 rpm and a compression of 8.3: 1. The maximum torque of 73.5 Nm was reached at 3000 rpm. The engine had overhead valves operated by rocker arms, a side camshaft, a triple-bearing crankshaft, water cooling with a pump and thermostat, a JIKOV 32 BST-13 carburetor and a 12-volt system. Later, the power of 40 hp and the maximum torque of 72.5 Nm at 2800 rpm were specified. There was also a version with two carburettors: 46 hp at 4800 rpm, compression 9.2: 1, maximum torque 75.5 Nm at 3000 rpm. At the end of the construction period, an engine with a displacement of 1107 cm³ was optionally available.

The engine was installed at an angle of 30 ° to the right behind the rear axle, to the left of the engine the water cooler, the effect of which could be regulated from inside the car by a radiator shutter. Due to the inclination of the engine, the height of the rear step was kept relatively low. The gearbox was in front of the axle. It was a fully synchronized four-speed gearbox with center shift. The clutch was operated hydraulically.

Body, chassis and interior

The Škoda 1000 MB had a self-supporting, four-door body that consisted of a skeleton with sheet metal parts screwed on. At the front it had independent suspension on double wishbones of unequal length with coil springs and anti-roll bars, at the rear a pendulum axle with longitudinal thrust struts and coil springs as well as telescopic shock absorbers integrated into the springs at the front and rear. All four wheels (14 "rims) were braked with drum brakes.

The tank was in the front, the filler neck was under the foldable Škoda logo on the right front fender. The spare wheel was housed in a separate compartment under the trunk in the front of the car. This had the advantage that the entire trunk didn't have to be unloaded in order to get to the spare wheel. The spare wheel hatch was unlocked with a small lever under the front hood. The front hood, roof and tailgate were provided with a bead, except in the last years of construction.

The interior was modern with upholstery on the dashboard and the low-lying steering wheel hub and designed in accordance with the requirements of passive safety at the time. The equipment included reclining seats, in which not only could the front backrests be folded back, but the front seat could be lowered and the rear seat could be raised slightly so that a sleeping area was created. In order to expand the small trunk behind the rear seat, the seat was folded up and the backrest was folded down. In order to keep a third seat if necessary, the back seat was divided. In addition to the second trunk, the battery was located in a recess behind the rear seat. Choke and heating levers were placed between the front seats . The windscreen washer was operated by pressure. The front side windows of the four-door car could be cranked down, while the rear windows were permanently installed. There were small vent windows at the front and rear for ventilation, which could also be opened by cranks.

Versions

Škoda 1000 MB in everyday life ( CZ 2004), typically with a roof rack

Prototype station wagon

Škoda 1100 MBX de Luxe

Engine of a Škoda 1100 MBX de Luxe

variants

The 1000 MB variant had the weakest engine and the simplest equipment. The 1000 MB de Luxe , a version with better equipment , had the same displacement but more power .

The 1000 MBG de Luxe with 988 cm³ displacement and two Jikov carburetors was mainly exported and had a higher engine power.

The 1100 MB de Luxe had a larger displacement and a higher engine power than the 1000 MB. It was produced in 1968 and 1969 and was only available in the de-luxe version, i.e. with the better equipment.

MBX was the name for the lower coupe with two doors that were wider than the four-door. The coupé was offered as a 1000 MBX (built from 10/1966) and 1100 MBX (built from 11/1967). The notchback coupe without a B-pillar weighed 815 kg (1000 MBX). The increase in performance in the MBX was achieved by adding a second carburetor, but this proved to be impractical.

Prototypes

In addition to the normal notchback variants, other body shapes were also planned and built. There is a station wagon in the Škoda Muzeum . The project was abandoned due to thermal problems with cooling. A convertible was also created .

Engines

Engine of the 1000 MB, as it was built, only slightly modified, until the 1990s

designation	Type	construction time	produced vehicles	body	engine
1000 MB	Type 990	1964-1969	349,348	four-door sedan	988 cm³, 27 kW (35 DIN PS)
1000 MB	Type 721	1966-1969	65.502	four-door sedan	988 cm³, 29 kW (37 DIN PS)
1000 MBG de Luxe	Type 710	1966-1969	3287	four-door sedan	988 cm³, 35 kW (45 DIN PS)
1000 MBX de Luxe	Type 990T	1966-1969	1403	two-door coupe	988 cm³, 35 kW (45 DIN PS)
1100 MB de Luxe	Type 715	1967-1969	22,487	four-door sedan	1107 cm³, 35 kW (45 DIN PS)
1100 MBX de Luxe	Type 723	1967-1969	1114	two-door coupe	1107 cm³, 35 kW (45 DIN PS)

The performance information differs slightly depending on the source.

Problems

To compensate for the rear load capacity of the vehicle, the fuel tank and spare wheel were placed in the front. This meant that the trunk with 340 liters of volume was rather small and also quite flat. There was no room for bulky items in it, or in the small space behind the rear seats when all the seats were occupied. Many 1000 MB were therefore driven with roof racks. Despite the arrangement made, the 1000 MB was rear-heavy, which, in addition to being very sensitive to crosswinds, manifested itself in the car “ swimming ” at speeds of 80 km / h and over. Many car owners put a cement bag or something similar in the trunk to improve driving behavior. Of course, this increased fuel consumption and the vehicle's steering effort.

Most motor vehicles were affected by corrosion problems at the time. In the Škoda 1000 MB, however, they were particularly serious, affecting the sills and axle suspensions in particular. The vehicles rusted quickly even with regular cavity preservation, which was due to the high sulfur content of the sheet metal. Another serious shortcoming was cylinder head gaskets that were burned out due to engine overheating in the first vehicle versions. At times, the cars were delivered with a replacement canister for cooling water as standard, the plastic canister was in the right rear fender.

Up to 1967 there were material-related problems with cracks in the engine block, which could only be fixed shortly before production was discontinued for the successor model. There were also considerations for a Wankel engine and smaller test engines of this type of engine.

Export to Germany

The Škoda 1000 MB was widespread on the streets of Eastern Germany. More than 60,000 units were imported. When it appeared in 1964, the specialist press rated it as the first modern utility vehicle in the socialist camp. Other versions, such as the 1100 MB, were not officially introduced. In West Germany, the Skoda was exposed to much greater competition and less widespread. The selling price for the 1000 MB was DM 4980 in 1967; a VW Beetle  1200 cost 4485 DM.

literature

• Bernard Vermeylen: Cars from the Eastern Bloc. 1st edition, Verlag Delius Klasing, Bielefeld, ISBN 978-3-7688-3149-9 , pp. 132-137

Web links

Commons : Škoda 1000 MB / 1100 MB  - collection of images

• "Buying advice for the Škoda 1000 MB" - detailed information (German, PDF)
• Prototypes, development, pictures, technical data, spare parts catalog, links (Czech)
• www.skodateam.de Extensive information material about the Škoda 1000 MB in German
• The time of November 25, 1966 No. 48; Škoda 1000 MB
• Information about prototypes 976, 977, 978, 990

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Manfred Jantke: We drove: 1000 MB. In: auto motor und sport. Issue 21/1964, pp. 30-33.
2. ↑ ^{a b} catalog Die Auto Modelle 1967/68. United Motor Publishers, Stuttgart 1967.
3. ^ Czechoslovakian Motor Revue. Issue 9/73
4. ↑ Picture of the 1000 MB convertible
5. ↑ Technology of the Škoda 1000 MB. In: Automotive Technology . 6/1964, pp. 206-207.
6. ^ Werner Oswald: Motor vehicles of the GDR. 2nd edition, 2000.
7. ↑ Thoughts on automobile development under socialism. In: Automotive Technology . 8/1964, p. 281.