Skoda 200 RS

At the beginning of the 1970s, it was recognised in Mladá Boleslav that in the long term it would not be possible to succeed in the demanding rallies against international competition with engines with engines of up to 1,300 cc displacement – such as in the Škoda 120 S Rallye. Soon after, the decision was made to develop a rally car with a correspondingly large displacement.

The Škoda 110 R Coupé with the S 720 aluminium engine served as the basis for the implementation of this ambitious project. This had a modern OHC valve control system and was created in the second half of the 1960s for the prototype of the same name. In addition, the designers used the experience gained during the construction of the Škoda 120 S Rallye: the technology of these two vehicles was to be combined in a new model.

The first corresponding prototypes were ready to drive as early as 1971 and used the bodies of the S 1000 MB and the S 100 L. For test purposes, the five-speed gearbox from the Tatra 603-2 racing cars of the time was installed here. Jaroslav Bobek and Borivoj Korinek drove these prototypes on race tracks, while Oldrich Horsak and Jiri Motal steered them around rally tracks.

The main responsibility for the development of the body was borne by the designer and driver Jiri Sedivy, who built the S 110 R B5 for the 1973 season. The vehicle had a roof that was 7.5 centimeters lower and a lower windshield. The roof and bonnet were pressed from 0.7 millimetre thick aluminium sheet, and the vehicle weighed a total of 85 kilograms less than the production version.

In the course of the development phase, however, the designers faced some challenges in the project. For example, the engine installed in front of the rear axle proved to be a disadvantage during the tests of the Skoda 110 R on the racetrack. The drivers' impression that the car tends to understeer significantly was also confirmed by the simulations of the shift in centre of gravity on the computer. After the final evaluation of the tests, work began in October 1973 and just seven months later the first car was on the starting line.

The skeleton of the S 110 R – with the already proven lowered roof and side panels, which were shortened accordingly at the level of the sills – formed the basis of the new rally coupé. Here, the safety cage was integrated, which stiffened the structure, increased torsional rigidity and protected the occupants in the event of a collision.

Modifications were also made to the front end, so that a trachea cooler with exhaust openings could be installed on the bonnet. In addition, the designers relied on a front spoiler, which they scientifically referred to at the time as a 'lift jammer'.

The roof, riveted to the body, was pressed from sheet aluminium, the bonnet was made of the same material. For the bonnet, the developers relied on glass-fibre-reinforced plastic, which made it possible to provide the rear section of the coupé with ventilation openings and to model the typical wing with a spoiler edge.

The widened fenders were particularly striking: In the wheel arches, there was space for wide rally tires in the format 7-8 inches × 13 inches at the front and 7-10 inches x 13 inches at the rear on two-piece magnesium rims. At the front, girling disc brakes provided the necessary deceleration, at the rear the standard drum brakes of the Skoda 110 were used. In the course of development, these were also replaced by disc brakes from the British manufacturer Girling in one of the models.

The front axle was based on the counterpart of the Škoda 120 S, the wishbones were extended and reinforced for a wider track, and the steering was also adapted. The rear wheels were suspended on triangular wishbones, in this way camber and toe could be adjusted. The suspension of the Škoda rally car was provided by classic coil springs, and the custom-made telescopic shock absorbers from Koni Sport were adjustable.

The S 720 engine made it possible to design an engine, but to keep the displacement variable, which the designers took advantage of. The smaller of the four-cylinder engines had a displacement of 1,772 cc, the larger one 1,997 cc. This was ensured by a different stroke of the crankshaft of 74.5 and 84 millimeters with an identical bore of 87 millimeters.

The engines had dry sump lubrication and the model designation resulted from the displacement: The car with a smaller engine, which achieved a maximum output of 154 hp at 6,250 rpm with a Weber 45 DCOE 2 twin carburetor, was given the designation 180 RS. The vehicle with a two-liter engine, which reached 163 hp at 6,000 rpm, was given the name 200 RS.In their search for a suitable transmission, the designers opted for the manual Porsche five-speed transmission type 915.003.133 and a single-plate clutch with diaphragm spring from Fichtel & Sachs.

As a result, the very light rally vehicles weighed just over 800 kilograms and, depending on the overall gear ratio, achieved top speeds of up to 240 km/h. The 200 RS made its first appearance at the IDA Rally in what was then Czechoslovakia in May 1974, followed by the Barum Rally with two vehicles and the Rally Skoda in Mladá Boleslav, where the three red-and-white-painted vehicles started together on 1 June 1974.

A total of two Skoda 200 RS vehicles and a Skoda 180 RS were built. Initially, everything indicated that the designers had developed a top rally car that would not have had to shy away from comparison with the most successful vehicles in motorsport. But things turned out differently: Changes in the regulations put an abrupt end to the careers of the 180 RS and 200 RS: The new regulations ruled out the homologation of rally prototypes, instead vehicles based on production models were to compete.

Subsequently, the designers in Mladá Boleslav built the successor 130 RS. They used the Škoda 110 R as a technical basis and also used their knowledge and experience with the 180 RS and 200 RS. Weighing only 720 kilograms with rear-wheel drive and a 140 hp 1.3-liter engine, the vehicle quickly became a successful model and left the competition behind on rally tracks as well as on the circuit until 1983.