Škoda 120

Škoda Auto does not build many cars like the Škoda 120: a 4-door saloon with 1046&nbsp, built from 1976 to 1990 as the oil crises and the first emissions rules rewired the industry.

The background

The Škoda Type 742 and 746 is a family of rear-engined, rear-wheel drive small family car, produced by car manufacturer AZNP in Mladá Boleslav, Czechoslovakia between 1976 and 1990. The original models were the Škoda 105 and Škoda 120; a Škoda 125 variation arrived late in the production run. Engine sizes were 1.05, 1.2, and 1.3 liters, with late versions (135/136) using the new Favorit's engine being given the internal model code 746. Over two million were built in the type's 14-year production run.

The range was facelifted in 1983 with a revised design and engine improvements, together with the introduction of a new, 1.3-liter version known as the Škoda 130. Further 1.3-liter models followed in 1987 with the Škoda 135 and 136. All 105/120/125 and 130 models known by their Škoda internal reference as Type 742, while the later 135 and 136 models are called Type 746. In the UK, the 105/120 models were known as the Super Estelle until 1984, when the face-lifted models were called Estelle Two.

The engineering

Under the skin sits 1046  other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. The gearbox is a 4/5-speed manual. The layout matters: the engine hangs behind the rear axle, a layout that gives ferocious traction out of a corner and a reputation to match on the way in. The wheelbase is 2400 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.

Where it sits

Where it sits in Škoda Auto's history is not in doubt: the Škoda S100/110 came before it; the Škoda Favorit followed it; it was built at Mladá Boleslav, Czechoslovakia. On a showroom list of its day it stood against the Ford Fiesta, the Lotus Esprit, the BMW 7 Series. Its Škoda Auto stablemates include the HZS-1 and the Trekka.

The money

There is no federal ownership record for the Škoda 120 — it predates the complaint database or was never sold in the United States — so MotorJury publishes no running-cost figure for it. For a car of this age the price is set by the collector market and the condition of the individual example, not by a formula.