Icon of the era of aerodynamics: 1935 Skoda, which was found and restored (19 photos + 1 video)

The prototype Skoda 935 Dynamic is a four-cylinder water-cooled boxer engine in front of the rear axle, electromagnetic transmission, fuel tank in the main landing gear and, first of all, a complex aerodynamic body.





In 1935, visitors to the annual automobile show, held in Prague, they saw a very unusual car. The aerodynamic drop-shaped body attracted attention absolutely everyone. Conservatives considered him ugly, supporters futuristic currents admired smooth lines, and techies surprised at the location of the power unit. In a word, this indifferent the car did not leave any of those who saw it.



ŠKODA 935 Dynamic is the name of the hero of our today's story. AT mid-thirties, research on the topic of aerodynamic bodies went everywhere. In the USA, he was preparing for the serial production of DeSoto Airflow, in that in Czechoslovakia, Hans Ledvinka is working on the Tatra-77, who spied him idea the Germans are working on their Volkswagens and Mercedes. But in unlike them, Skoda had one important difference.





Tatra 77 became famous (in a bad way) for handling, on at high speeds, the car became dangerous even on smooth turns. The rear-engine layout affected, although the engine was from the lungs alloys, but the front axle still remained unloaded. Engineers ŠKODA eliminated this problem at the design stage by placing the power unit inside the wheelbase, and the engine itself was made boxer, further lowering the center of gravity.







The 2-liter engine, by the way, is liquid-cooled, unlike Tatras. Power 54 hp for those years it was not bad, but the four-speed preselective gearbox Cotal, with electromagnetic servos generally seemed the height of engineering.





The maximum speed is about 140 km/h, and at this speed ŠKODA Dynamic did not lose control, therefore, unlike the Tatra, it does not need there was a huge "fin" - a tail stabilizer. However, despite many pluses, the car remained a prototype that exists in a single copy.





The length of the body is 4.85 meters, while the wheelbase is 3.2 meters. Width 1.68 m, it is also curious that the car has a different track. Front 1.25 m, rear axle - 1.3 m. At the base of the frame is a central pipe, which simultaneously serves as a 40-liter gas tank.







Serial production of the ŠKODA 935 Dynamic apparently originally not even planned. Too expensive was wood-metal body, it was not suitable for conveyor production, only painstaking handmade on each copy. But the main task of the prototype fulfilled, proving that the company is able to do more than just keep up with time in the world of autotrends, but also in some places ahead of it.





The only prototype was miraculously preserved in the war and post-war years, and after many years of restoration is in the museum of the company ŠKODA in Mladá Boleslav.