Anniversary restoration for Škoda’s last 860 convertible

By Lizzie Pope

| 30 Oct 2018

Classic & Sports Car – Anniversary restoration for Škoda’s last 860 convertible

This year’s been awash with automotive anniversaries, from Porsche, Lotus and Land-Rover’s 70th birthdays to a half-century of the Jaguar XJ – but Škoda’s celebrating a rather different landmark.

The Czech brand is marking the centenary of the founding of Czechoslovakia with the restoration of the only surviving 860 convertible.

This 1932 car started life as a demonstrator and has been part of the Škoda Museum’s collection since 1998.

It’s now been the subject of a comprehensive, two-year restoration that visitors to the manufacturer’s museum in Mladá Boleslav can enjoy.

If you’re not up to speed on classic Škodas, here’s a quick history lesson.

The 860 was first seen at the Prague Motor Show on 23 October 1929. It was the marque’s top-of-the-range passenger car, offered in saloon, convertible and Faux Cabriolet forms, the latter having a solid roof that from the outside looked like a folding roof.

Its name gives away its cylinder count and power: eight cylinders and 60hp. For context, the entry-level model, the Škoda 422, had, yes, you guessed it, a 22hp, four-cylinder engine.

The 860’s chassis, without the body, weighed 1460kg (3219lb), a completed car coming in at around two tonnes.

By the summer of 1931, 49 chassis had been built, the final two receiving bodies in spring 1933.

Other than this example, a few 860 saloons survive, plus a Faux Cabriolet and a fire engine.

Originality was key in the restoration of this 5.5m-long, now-roadworthy convertible, with work carried out on the paint and bodywork, woodwork, upholstery and roof cover.

The 860’s straight-eight, 3880cc engine has a nine-bearing crankshaft and Lanchester vibration damper for optimum smoothness, and in top (third) gear it can reach 110km/h (68mph). It also has vacuum-boosted brakes.

And then there’s the dash-mounted inclinometer that, on gradients, recommends a downshift, then once the car is back on the level, reminds the driver to shift up, predecessor of the modern gearshift indicator.

It’s also got a retractable glass panel which can separate the driver from his or her passengers – three adults could be accommodated across the back seat, with the option of two additional foldaway seats.

Passengers could also enjoy armrests, footrests, a cigarette light, roller blinds on the side windows and the luxurious comfort of a heated floor – well, we said this was the marque’s top model!

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