Czech mate

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Beach buggies are made from dead Volkswagens, right? Not necessarily so! With the beach buggy craze in full swing in the late 1960s/early 1970s several big motor manufacturers came up with their own idea for a fun car. One of the lesser known was the Škoda’s Type 637, made in 1972 in Mladá Boleslav, Czechoslovakia. Base vehicle was the plain Škoda 100 with its 45hp rear engine maintained but now with a considerable shorter wheelbase. The body came in steel with the idea it was easier to repair than the flimsy fibreglass used for just about any other (VW based) competitor. Unfortunately it never reached the production stage and only 4 or 5 prototypes are said to have been built. A revival as a ‘Snow emergency services and border guards vehicle’ was planned but again it never happened. The light blue car pictured here remains in Škoda’s museum and could be the only survivor, apart from some home made versions. (text and photo Jeroen Booij)

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