Red-Hot Czech Racer ŠKODA 1100 OHC

ŠKODA 1100 OHC Berlin - Arab Today ŠKODA will be presenting a rare highlight at the annual meeting for collectors and admirers of high-profile classic automobiles: ŠKODA has registered the ŠKODA 1100 OHC from 1958 in the ‘Schloss Bensberg Classics’ on the 7th and 8th of September. In addition to its unique design, the classic car has more special features, such as a fiberglass body and a four-cylinder engine with overhead valve control. The ŠKODA will be taking part in the ‘Rallye Historique’, starting and finishing the vintage car race at the castle in picturesque Bergisch Land. ŠKODA has been at the ‘Schloss Bensberg Classics’ since the first one in Bergisch Gladbach in 2009 and will be participating this year for the fifth time at the vintage car event. The Czech brand – one of the longest-established car producers worldwide – will be there with a very rare piece from their collection that will appeal not only to car enthusiasts: the ŠKODA 1100 OHC from 1958. After around two years of development, this roadster was first introduced to the public in June, 1958 in a race in Mladá Boleslav – the birthplace of the company. The great victory by a huge margin made it clear that the combination of a glass reinforced plastic (GRP) body and the four-cylinder engine with 1089 cc displacement, overhead OHC valve control and an output of 92 hp at 7,700 revolutions per minute had great potential. Worldwide, there is only one other ŠKODA 1100 OHC Roadster owned by ŠKODA UK. Later, only two coupes with a closed aluminium body were produced. ŠKODA Classic has thus chosen another highlight from their portfolio for the fifth occasion of this exclusive vintage car event. Bensberg Castle in Bergisch Gladbach is located near the city of Cologne. The castle hotel grounds and surroundings have been transformed every year since 2009 at the beginning of September into an exclusive venue for the classic cars presented there during the race or in the competition of elegance ‘Concours d'Elegance’. The ŠKODA 1100 OHC will be talking part in the 2013 ‘Rallye Historique’. In this competition, which is measured to the millimetre and hundredth of a second, the drivers’ precision is of the highest importance. The focus is on consistency checks and dexterity tasks. The competition involves separate ratings for mechanical and electronic instruments; in 2013 only cars built before 1983 are allowed. The tour through the Bergisch Land region with its winding, picturesque side roads, numerous ascents and descents is a demanding rally layout. The start and finish will be at the Castle Bensberg Grand Hotel with a stop at the Park by Castle Lerbach Hotel. Last year several ŠKODA classics won at the Schloss Bensberg Classics. As part of the star-studded ‘Rallye Historique’, the elegant coupe ŠKODA Popular Monte Carlo won category 3 "built before 1945, Hourglass". Also in category 2 of the rally (built between 1946 and 1979, Electronic), the 2012 ŠKODA 130 RS from Team ŠKODA Auto Deutschland came up trumps. 2013 will mark the fifth time that the ‘Schloss Bensberg Classics’ has taken place. The event is one of the most important venues for classic cars, representing the glorious highlights of automotive history. The ‘Schloss Bensberg Classics’ was included in the ‘Louis Vuitton Classic Concours Awards’ three years ago and is thus in on par with prestigious competitions such as in Pebble Beach, California and Villa d'Este, Italy.