Skoda 932 1932 Black

Skoda 932 1932 Black by Autocult

The forgotten People’s Car?  
The idea for this particular passenger car dates back to 1932 and embodied Škoda’s search for a lightweight, economical and, above all, for everybody affordable at the time. The design was assigned to the Russian engineer Vsevolod Korolkov, who is said to have given the prototype the nickname ‘Kadlomobil’ in honor of the plant manager, eng. Dr. Karel Hrdlička.   The location of the engine in the rear alone was ahead of its time, as we know today. Also the categorization of the car as a so-called ‘People’s Car’ testifies the foresight of the designer. Not only the arrangement of the 1.5 liter, 30 hp-strong engine was unusual at the time, also the look of the car was quite in need of getting used to. The only slight difference between the front and the rear end made it difficult to differ where the front and where the rear was at first sight.   The rear end was made by – also visually unusual – a ventilation grill, behind which a propeller provided the needed air for cooling the engine. While opening the front truck, immediately the spare wheel came into view – even at that time by no means common.   The Type 932 had probably dominated the company’s activities in Mladá Boleslav over the years 1932 and 1933. Ultimately, the project was rejected and most probably came back in some minds in the last years of the 1930s, when the development of the KdF-car (Volkswagen Beetle) was widely propagated. In those moments, some might have wondered whether their earlier, own rear engine concepts were not too far ahead of its time and whether it might not have been a great success after all.