This striking-looking 1908 Laurin & Klement BSC is the last of its kind and now it's going on show.
And if you’re thinking, “What is Laurin & Klement?” you can be forgiven.
Václav Laurin and Václav Klement started out as bicycle manufacturers in 1895, moving into motorbikes in 1899 before producing their first car in 1905, the Laurin & Klement Voiturette A. The firm was acquired by Škoda in 1925.
In all, 12 BSC sports cars were built between 10 June and 20 October 1908, with this car completed on 12 July. It is now going on display at Škoda’s museum in Mladá Boleslav.
The BSC was sold as either a roadworthy chassis to which buyers could add a custom body, or a complete vehicle, with an open two-seater body.
Power comes from a two-cylinder, 1399cc engine delivering 12hp; that’s 2hp more than the 10hp of the standard BS series models.
This survivor has been the subject of a two-year restoration, the team working from original drawings, and many of the major components used, including the engine, are original, 1908 parts.
