Škoda 4 R / 6 R

Škoda
Škoda 6 R
4 rows and 6 rows
Production period:	1928-1930
Class :
Body versions :	Coupé , convertible , sedan , Phaeton
Engines:	Gasoline engine : 1.9-2.9 liters (23.5-36.8 kW)
Length:	4690-5150 mm
Width:
Height:
Wheelbase :	2950-3460 mm
Empty weight :	1280-1500 kg
Previous model	Laurin & Klement Škoda 110
successor	Škoda 430

The models 4 R and 6 R were vehicles from the car manufacturer Škoda . The company wanted to use them to simplify production and thus reduce manufacturing costs. Despite their many innovations, their exterior was designed similar to the Laurin & Klement vehicles . In economic terms, production fell short of expectations and was discontinued after less than two years.

history

After taking over the Laurin & Klement car factory in Mladá Boleslav , Škoda began to modernize production. For this purpose, the Škoda 4 R and 6 R models were created in 1928. Škoda used many of the same assemblies and components in both vehicles. The new engines were also largely standardized. Other special features were the four-wheel brake, the motors with Ricardo cylinder head and the improved steering with spindle and nut , which reduced the shocks transmitted to the steering wheel. The concept of the vehicles was rather conservative. In September 1928 the new vehicle family was launched on the XX. International Motor Show in Prague presented to the public. Despite high reliability and improved driving characteristics and performance, the cars were not an economic success and production was therefore stopped after less than two years and replaced by the 430 model. A total of 975, according to the latest counts 970, chassis with and without superstructure of the model 4 R were manufactured and a total of 322 of the 6 R.

Vehicle designation

It is composed of a number that represents the number of cylinders, and an R that on to the ideas of Harry R Ricardo pointed developed cylinder block and head.

technical description

Engines

Schematic representation of a side-controlled engine with the pinch edge developed by Ricardo on the cylinder head.

The engines were four-stroke petrol engines and had four cylinders on the 4 R model and six cylinders on the 6 R. Bore and stroke were standardized so that, for example, the same pistons and connecting rods could be used in both engines. The pistons were made of an aluminum alloy. The valves were also the same in both engines. They were arranged upright on one side of the engine ("L-head"). Following the principle of Harry Ricardo, the compact combustion chamber in the cylinder head was arranged above the valves and a large part of the piston head was covered by the cylinder head at top dead center. The crankshaft of the four-cylinder had three bearings and that of the six-cylinder had four bearings. The engines had pressure circulation lubrication with pressure regulation and two filters. An electromagnetic ignition distributor with independent ignition setting was installed. The four-cylinder engine had one of the latest Zenith horizontal carburetors and the six-cylinder engine had two of the same model. Each carburetor had an air and a gasoline filter. The fuel was carried from the gas tank to the carburetor through an aspirator . The cooling worked without a pump ( thermosiphon cooling ) and was supported by a fan behind the cooler. A common flat belt drove the alternator and fan. The on-board voltage was 12 volts.

In a version throttled to 25 HP (18 kW), the engine of the 4 R was installed in the small Škoda 125 truck from 1929 and this was then sold on as the Škoda 154 without any further changes .

Power transmission

The clutch was designed as a dry-disk clutch. The transmission, with a shift lever in the middle of the car, had four forward gears and one reverse gear. The torque was transmitted from the gearbox to the rear axle via a cardan shaft. The rear axle was made as a banjo axle with a bevel gear from Gleason .

Chassis and chassis

The frame of the car was made of riveted steel U-profiles. The rigid axles front and rear were suspended and guided by semi-elliptical leaf springs with shock absorbers. The mechanical foot brake came from Perrot and worked on all wheels. The handbrake lever was placed in the middle of the car and the brake worked on the rear wheels. The spoked wheels were from Rudge-Whitworth with a central nut. The customer could also order metal disc wheels, later also steel spoke wheels with split rims. The balloon tires of type SS (SS stands for Straight Side) had the size 30 × 5.25 for the 4 R model and 32 × 6.00 for the 6 R.

Bodies and prices

A not fully restored limousine on a 6 R chassis in the Škoda Museum.

Both vehicles were also offered as chassis. This option was rarely used by customers. A chassis of the 4 R model cost CZK 55,000 and that of the 6 R cost  CZK 70,000.

Seven different body styles could be ordered from Škoda for the 4 R model. Specifically, these were the sports car, four-seater Phaeton, roadster with a folding bench in the rounded rear, coupé with emergency seats that can be folded down behind the driver and front passenger seats, Tudor (a two-door vehicle), six-seater sedan with six side windows and an artificial leather-covered plywood body according to Weymann license from Brožík or Aero . In 1929 a four-seater Phaeton cost CZK 60,000 and a six-seat sedan cost CZK 82,500. At the end of production in 1930, the Phaeton cost 55,000 CZK. The most popular superstructure for the 4 R was the four-seater Phaeton.

For the 6 R model, mainly large touring bodies could be ordered through Škoda. For example, a six-seat Phaeton, a six-seat sedan under the Weymann license from Brožík or Aero and an all-steel sedan were available. Prices in 1929 ranged from Kč 80,000 for the Phaeton to Kč 97,500 for a Weymann limousine to Kč 99,000 for the all-steel limousine. Here, too, the price fell in 1930 and the Weymann limousine was available for CZK 78,000.

The Ministry of Defense ordered several dozen sedans and Phaetons from the 6R. The Ministry of Health bought two dozen 6Rs to build four medical units to combat infectious diseases. These 24 chassis were built as ambulance, laboratory and disinfection vehicles. The bodies came from the company Karosa and the equipment from Novák & Jahn and Ms. Chvojka. The vehicles were stationed in Užhorod , Brno , Bratislava and Prague .

The models 4 R and 6 R were also made as hearses.

Technical specifications

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h} Adolf Kuba: Atlas Našich Automobilů 1914–1928. Nakladatelství dopravy a spojů (NADAS), Praha 1988, pp. 195, 196, 198-200.
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Jan Tuček: ŠKODA 4R A 6R - S písmenem R. Website of Automobil Revue (CZ). Retrieved July 20, 2019.
3. ↑ Adolf Cuba: Atlas našich automobilů 1914-1928. Nakladatelství dopravy a spojů (NADAS), Praha 1988, pp. 183–186.
4. ↑ Adolf Cuba: Atlas našich automobilů 1914-1928. Nakladatelství dopravy a spojů (NADAS), Praha 1988, p. 104.