This is the forerunner of Skoda, launched 125 years ago by the bicycle firm established four years previously by mechanic Václav Laurin and bookseller Václav Klement in Czechoslovakia, writes Brian Byrne. Dubbed types A and B, they were showcased in a riding presentation in Prague and were technically refined.
In the spring of 1899 they had already been offering an auxiliary engine for bicycles, but these motorised bicycles had engines within the frame, which lowered the centre of gravity, improving the handling and protecting the engine components. The rear wheel was driven by a leather belt, with speeds of the two versions reaching 30km/h and 40km/h respectively.
Commercial and sporting successes with motorcycles paved the way for the Mladá Boleslav-based brand’s first automobile, the L&K Voiturette A, in 1905.
