Škoda 440

Škoda
Škoda 440
Škoda 440 Škoda Octavia
Sales designation:	Škoda 440 Škoda Octavia
Production period:	1955-1971
Class :	Lower middle class
Body versions :	Limousine , station wagon
Engines:	Petrol engines : 1.1–1.2 liters (29.4–37 kW)
Length:	4065 mm
Width:	1600 mm
Height:	1430 mm
Wheelbase :	2400 mm
Empty weight :	920-965 kg
Previous model	Škoda 1101 "Tudor"
successor	Škoda 1000 MB

Octavia with the grill used from 1963

Octavia great

Octavia Combi, late 1960s / early 1970s: smoothed lines

Octavia Combi in the Škoda Muzeum

Rear view of the Octavia Combi

The Škoda 440 (also known as Spartak in the vernacular ) and Škoda Octavia (from 1959) was an automobile produced by the Czechoslovak automobile manufacturer AZNP (Škoda) from 1955 to 1971 , some of which was produced in the main Mladá Boleslav plant.

Model history

In the 1950s and 1960s, the car manufacturer AZNP produced a number of vehicles that initially had numbers and later names. These still had the conventional drive principle of a front engine with rear-wheel drive . The vehicles were viewed from the beginning as intermediate types that should bridge the time to the development of a Czechoslovak people's car. As early as 1955 there was talk of another four to five years before a suitable Volksauto model would be ready. The development work associated with many twists and turns finally resulted in the Škoda 1000 MB - a light, full-fledged people's car with a rear-mounted engine , which went into production in 1964 and replaced the previous Škoda models. Only the old station wagon models 1202 and Octavia station wagon were built in parallel until 1971. Even if the intermediate type did not become a real “Volkswagen” due to its price and the number of units, its beauty and solidity made it popular.

After its presentation in January 1955 at the Brussels Motor Show (with the name Orlik), production of this so-called intermediate type began in autumn 1955 as the Škoda 440 (4 cylinder, 40 hp), which was also known by the population with the original project name Spartak . This car can be seen as the successor to the 1101/1102 "Tudor" ; many parts of this vehicle were simply taken over, which can hardly be seen because of the changed body. Until 1959, 75,417 units of this model with a displacement of 1089 cm³ were produced.

In 1957, the product line was expanded to include the Škoda 445 , which received the more powerful engine of the Škoda 1200 with 1221 cm³ displacement and 45 hp (9375 units built until 1959). In addition, the Škoda 450, a convertible version, was introduced in which the 1089 cm³ engine was fitted with a double falling-flow carburettor that achieved 50 hp (1000 units by 1959). In 1959 there was a facelift and the models were renamed because of the five-year plan : Škoda Octavia (instead of 440 ) because it embodied the eighth generation of Škoda automobiles, Škoda Octavia Super (instead of 445 ) and Škoda Felicia (instead of 450 ). The exterior changed little; it was stipulated that 80% of the parts had to be taken over from the predecessor. For the most part, development only took care of the technology. So the type of suspension and some moldings were changed. In 1960, two touring sport models with the engines of the two Škoda Felicia were added. In 1961 other modified engines were used and the internal type designations were partially changed. In 1963, the passenger compartment design of the Octavias was changed (including individual seats in the front instead of a bench), and the modified, fine-meshed grill was noticeable on the outside. Octavia and Felicia produced 298,480 units, including 14,863 Felicia and 54,086 Octavia station wagons.

In 1964 the notchback version (Octavia) was replaced by the rear-engined Škoda 1000 MB . There was no successor to the Felicia convertible , and the Octavia Combi should have been Škoda's last estate for a long time. Its production finally ended in 1971.

In 1994 the name was Felicia for small cars Škoda Felicia taken up again. The name Octavia was also used again for the new Škoda Octavia .

The various models were export hits. They were sold as far as South America or New Zealand . 6000 440/445, 500 Felicia and more than 70,000 Octavias ended up in the GDR (statistics up to 1969).

technology

The vehicles have a four-stroke OHV front engine with four cylinders. The power is transmitted to the rear axle by means of a fully synchronized 4-speed gearshift through a central tubular frame. The 12 volt electrical system is powered by a direct current generator. The effect of the engine cooler can be regulated by a blind from inside the car.

Model versions

Škoda 440 (1955–1959)

The Škoda 440 (type 970) was built between 1955 and 1959 as a two-door sedan. 84,792 pieces were produced.

Technical specifications:

• Cylinder: 4
• Displacement: 1089 cm³
• Power: 29.4 kW (40 PS)
• Top speed: 110 km / h
• Dimensions (L × W × H): 4065 mm × 1600 mm × 1430 mm

Škoda 445 (1957–1959)

The Škoda 445 (type 985) was built with a more powerful engine from 1957 to 1959.

Technical specifications:

• Cylinder: 4
• Displacement: 1221 cm³
• Power: 33 kW (45 PS)
• Dimensions (L × W × H): 4065 mm × 1600 mm × 1430 mm

Škoda Octavia (1959–1964)

The Škoda Octavia (type 985, 1959–1961; type 702, 1961–1964) - successor to the Škoda 440 "Spartak" - was built from 1959 to 1964.

The most important improvement was the replacement of the leaf springs on the front axle with coil springs. Furthermore, the radiator grille and the instrument panel were changed. The clutch and the cardan shaft were taken over from the Škoda 450. There were also larger taillights in attachments mounted on the rear fenders and a fuel nozzle arranged on the side of the right rear fender. The Octavia was equipped with the 1089 cm³ engine of the Škoda 440, whereby from 1961 the compression was increased to 7.5 and the power increased to 42 hp.

Technical specifications:

• Cylinder: 4
• Displacement: 1089 cm³
• Output: 29.4 kW (40 hp), from 1961 30.9 kW (42 hp)
• Top speed: 110 km / h, from 1961 115 km / h
• Dimensions (L × W × H): 4065 mm × 1600 mm × 1430 mm

Škoda Octavia Super (1959–1964)

The Škoda Octavia Super (type 993, 1959–1961; type 703, 1961–1964) - successor to the Škoda 445 - was built from 1959 to 1964.

Technical specifications:

• Cylinder: 4
• Displacement: 1221 cm³
• Output: 33 kW (45 PS), from 1961 34.6 kW (47 PS)
• Top speed: 115 km / h, from 1961 118 km / h
• Dimensions (L × W × H): 4065 mm × 1600 mm × 1430 mm

Škoda Octavia TS (1960–1964)

The Škoda Octavia TS (Touring Sport) (type 995) supplemented the product range with a more powerful engine from 1960.

• Cylinder: 4
• Displacement: 1089 cm³
• Power: 36.8 kW (50 PS)
• Top speed: 128 km / h
• Dimensions (L × W × H): 4065 mm × 1600 mm × 1430 mm

Škoda Octavia 1200 TS (1960–1964)

The Škoda Octavia 1200 TS (Touring Sport) (Type 999) with an even more powerful engine was also added in 1960.

Technical specifications:

• Cylinder: 4
• Displacement: 1221 cm³
• Power: 40.4 kW (55 PS)
• Top speed: 130 km / h
• Dimensions (L × W × H): 4065 mm × 1600 mm × 1430 mm

Škoda Octavia Combi (1961–1971)

The Škoda Octavia Combi was built in three generations. Type 993C only 1961, Type 703C 1961–1969, Type 704 1969–1971.

Technical specifications:

• Cylinder: 4
• Displacement: 1221 cm³
• Output: 34.6 kW (47 hp), from 1969 37.5 kW (51 hp)
• Top speed: 115 km / h
• Dimensions (L × W × H): 4065 mm × 1600 mm × 1430 mm

literature

• Bernard Vermeylen: Cars from the Eastern Bloc . 1st edition, Verlag Delius Klasing, Bielefeld, ISBN 978-3-7688-3149-9 , pp. 126-132
• Thoughts on a Czechoslovak people's car . In: Motor vehicle technology , issue 10/1954, p. 318/319
• The Czechoslovak Volkskraftwagen intermediate type Spartak on the scale of European small car construction . In: Motor vehicle technology , issue 9/1955, p. 319/320
• Jikov downdraft carburetor TYPE 26 SOP and 32 SOP . In: Motor vehicle technology , Issue 4/1962, pp. 165–167
• Bohemian middle class . Auto Classic , issue Nov / Dec 2016, pp. 60ff

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Spartak - an intermediate type to the Czechoslovak people's car . In: Motor vehicle technology , Issue 3/1955, pp. 85/86
2. ↑ Bernard Vermeylen: Cars from the Eastern Bloc . 1st edition, Verlag Delius Klasing, Bielefeld, ISBN 978-3-7688-3149-9 , p. 126/127
3. ↑ ^{a b c d} Czechoslovakian Motor Review, Issue 8/1974
4. ↑ Bernard Vermeylen: Cars from the Eastern Bloc . 1st edition, Verlag Delius Klasing, Bielefeld, ISBN 978-3-7688-3149-9 , p. 129
5. ↑ Modifications to Škoda cars In: Motor vehicle technology , Issue 3/1963, p. 102.
6. ^ Werner Oswald: Motor vehicles of the GDR . 2nd edition, 2000

Web links

Commons : Škoda 440  - collection of images

• www.skoda-oldtimer.at
• Škoda 440, 445 450 - "spartak"