Excelsior P5

Škoda Mladá Boleslav

In 1894, Václav Klement, a bookseller from Mladá Boleslav, opened together with Václav Laurin, a mechanical engineer from Turnov, a bicycle repair shop in Mladá Boleslav. Soon, aside from repairs they also started to make Slávia bicycles and by 1897 their production grew so much they had to build a new workshop; at this point, they had 32 employees. Just one year later, they had built a new motorcycle and by 1905, they were already making 15 different types of motorcycles. At that time, the Laurin and Klement company was employing 320 people. In that year, they also made the first Czech automobile, the voiturette A.

In 1907, they transformed into a joint-stock company. After 1905, the company introduced in quick sequence various other types of passenger cars, buses, and lorries, and in 1911, it started the production of a new Excelsior motor plough. Before the First World War, the company was making two types of these ploughs: one with 40hp, the other with 80hp and a turpentine-driven engine. They were also making airplane engines, gasoline-powered road rollers, and stationary combustion engines Brons.

During the First World War, the company had to transition to war production. In 1918, it was already employing 1,300 persons. Laurin and Klement were continuing in their prewar production of both passenger cars and lorries in line with their established concept. The factory also introduced a new variant of the Excelsior motor plough with 40hp and a gasoline engine, but due to production in small series and therefore high prices, their products were finding it difficult to find buyers in the increasingly competitive market. Growing financial problems eventually led to the sale of Laurin and Klement Company to the Pilsen-based Joint-Stock Company, formerly Škoda Industries.

The new owner invested into a massive building programme in the Mladá Boleslav factory, which retained its original production plan, that is, focus on the production of passenger cars, lorries, and tractors. It turned out that managing the company from rather remote Pilsen was cumbersome, which is why in 1930 the former Laurin and Klement branch was transformed into a new and separate Joint-Stock Company for the Car Industry. In 1930, the Škoda factory in Mladá Boleslav was employing around 4,000 people and making up to 6,000 cars a year. But that was also the last successful year: it was followed by the Great Depression, which in 1932 resulted in a previously unthinkable step, namely a merger with the company’s main competitor, the Praga company, and the creation of a new Motor company. Just three months later, however, the company broke apart due to disagreements.  Eventually, the Škoda company managed to overcome its difficulties among other things thanks to a new series of passenger cars and lorries.

In 1936, the production of tractors was transferred to Mladá Boleslav. The company’s engineers improved the existing HT-30 and HT-18 models, and developed a new type HT-33, which was later joined by HT-20 and HT-40. The last two types were since 1941 fitted with wood-gas engines and labelled HT 20G and HT 40G. Aside from the abovementioned tractors, the factories were also making crawler tractors for the army and industry, which were sold under the name of Škoda WD 40 HP. In 1943, tractor production was stopped.

During the Second World War, the Škoda factories engaged in war production and at the end of the war, they were severely damaged by bombing. Still, the company managed to restart production already in the autumn of 1945. After 1948, the company was nationalised and henceforth specialised in the production of passenger cars. In 1946, the production of Škoda 30 tractors was moved back to Pilsen. After 1948, the now nationalised company also took over the factories of Bohuslav Sobotka’s dissolved company in Kosmonosy. After 1989, the Škoda company was de-nationalised and acquired a strategic partner in Volkswagen, a large German carmaker. Acquisition of financial resources from abroad had enabled large investment construction. The Škoda company continues its operations, that is, the production of Škoda cars, to this day.