The tenth Škoda Student Car sees 28 trainees writing another chapter in the history of the Škoda Academy in Mladá Boleslav. The Škoda L&K 130 and its special colour scheme pay homage to company founders Václav Laurin and Václav Klement, who started by building bicycles 130 years ago. The one-off model is the first Student Car to be based on the Škoda Superb Estate model. With a pick-up-like loading area and many clever ideas, it is designed as a support vehicle for professional bicycle races.
The end of the school year at the Škoda Vocational School is traditionally marked by the creation of a Student Car. This year, 28 students transformed a Škoda Superb Estate into a support vehicle for cycling races. The name Škoda L&K 130 and its special colour scheme pay homage to Škoda Auto’s 130-year history, which began in 1895 with the production of bicycles. Later, company founders Václav Laurin and Václav Klement also began designing and manufacturing motorbikes and cars under the L&K brand name. Škoda Auto maintains a deep connection to bicycles and cycle racing today, as a long standing supporter of major international cycling events, including the Tour de France. The Škoda L&K 130 will be on show this summer at the 112th edition of the Tour de France taking place from 5 to 27 July 2025.
With the support of their teachers and experts from various departments, the trainees invested more than 2,000 working hours in the planning, development and production of the Škoda L&K 130. It is the first Student Car to be based on the Superb Estate and the first to feature a plug-in hybrid drive. Thanks to its electric range, it is well suited for use as a support vehicle during bike races. When running in all-electric mode, it uses a high voltage battery with a gross capacity of 25.7 kWh. Moreover, it offers generous space, which makes the Škoda L&K 130 the ideal support car for professional cycling races. The students transformed the estate car into a pick-up for this purpose. The vehicle now features a new rear window behind the rear seats separating the interior from the open loading area. It comes with a new, integrated bike carrier mechanism for transporting and quickly providing spare bikes.
The tenth Škoda Student Car highlights the Laurin & Klement heritage and the origins of the Škoda brand, which is celebrating its 130th anniversary this year. In 1895, cycling enthusiasts Václav Laurin and Václav Klement, a mechanic and a bookseller, started developing and manufacturing bicycles under the Slavia name. The company grew quickly, and in 1899 they presented their first motorbike, before the first Laurin & Klement automobile rolled out of the production hall in 1905. However, the enthusiasm for cycling has always remained part of the brand’s DNA and is today underlined by the company’s support of numerous major international cycling races. Škoda Auto is the official main partner of the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and will continue in this role until 2028. Its collaboration with event organisers A.S.O. and Unipublic covers a total of 20 international, prestigious cycling races for men and women, including the La Vuelta Tour of Spain and the Belgian and French one-day classics La Flèche Wallonne, Liège Bastogne Liège and Paris–Roubaix. Moreover, the Czech car manufacturer’s commitment to cycling is underscored by the Škoda “We Love Cycling” platform.
The name of the tenth Škoda Student Car highlights the long heritage of Škoda Auto. The classic gold, red and black Laurin & Klement logo, which can be found on the bonnet, hubcaps and steering wheel of the Škoda L&K 130, is reminiscent of the first cars made in Mladá Boleslav in 1905. The exterior and interior designs also feature large areas coloured gold, red and black. In addition to the paintwork, there is also a backlit grille mask with LEDs that can assume any colour within the RGB spectrum. The final design was selected from dozens of sketches produced by students.
In order to turn the body of the Škoda Superb Estate into a pick-up with a spacious passenger cabin and a functional, slide-out loading area, the students made various modifications. They cut off the estate car’s roof behind the C-pillars, reinforced the remaining parts of the passenger cabin, modified the B- and C-pillars and shortened the roof rails. The students also designed a new rear wall for the passenger compartment complete with a rear window positioned behind the second row of seats. The right rear door is equipped with a completely new lever sliding mechanism, which the students designed in close co-operation with experts from the company’s development department. When the door is opened, it does not interfere with the track – as the door does not swing outwards towards the track, it can be opened safely at any moment, even with cyclists approaching and overtaking the support vehicle.
The original luggage compartment has been replaced by a new, low-slung cargo bed. At the touch of a button, this can be extended rearwards together with the new tailgate, using a unique rack-and-pinion mechanism. This makes it easy to unload a spare bike for a cyclist during a race if required. Two standard bike racks from the Škoda Genuine Accessories range are installed on the platform. When the platform is retracted along with the tailgate, the carriers with the bikes tilt upwards at an angle of 35 degrees, so the vehicle has the same length as the original Škoda Superb Estate. A roof rack provides space for a third bicycle. The plug in hybrid powertrain – a first for a Škoda Student Car – has been adopted unchanged from the Škoda Superb Estate iV. The 150 PS (110 Kw) 1.5 TSI petrol engine and an electric motor combine to develop a system output of 204 PS (150 kW). A high-voltage battery with a gross capacity of 25.7 kWh enables a sufficient electric range to make the vehicle well suited for the purpose of a bike race support car.
As with the exterior, the interior of the Škoda L&K 130 is dominated by the classic L&K colours of red, white, gold and black on the seats, door panels and dashboard, and the materials used are recyclable. A “130 years” logo is embroidered into the covers of the front sports seats. To perfectly meet the needs of a professional cycling team, the students have integrated numerous other features into the vehicle. An additional display on the passenger side of the dashboard shows data required to support the riders. Thanks to a permanent internet connection, this data is always up to date. A radio is installed for communication within the team. Instead of the left-hand rear seat, a large cool box holding water bottles has been fitted. The 12-volt battery has found its place behind the rear seats. A large storage net under the cabin’s roof lining serves to hold small items such as energy bars or bandages. The service technician positioned on the right-hand rear seat also has their own display on the back of the front passenger seat. The students have produced numerous new equipment details using 3D printing technology. For example, the brackets for the storage net under the roof come from the 3D printer, as do the logos.
Ever since the launch of the Škoda Vocational School’s flagship project in the 2013/14 school year, students have planned, developed and built spectacular Student Cars on an annual basis. The only two breaks were caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021 and the remodelling of the Škoda Academy workshops in 2024.
• Škoda Citijet (2014) – the first Student Car from Mladá Boleslav, an open-top model based on the Škoda Citigo.
• Škoda Funstar (2015) – a playful and original pick-up based on the Škoda Fabia.
• Škoda Atero (2016) – an emotional coupé version of the Rapid Spaceback.
• Škoda Element (2017) – the first electric Student Car, preceding the Škoda Citigoe iV electric production model by two years.
• Škoda Sunroq (2018) – a cool SUV convertible created on the basis of the Škoda Karoq.
• Škoda Mountiaq (2019) – a spectacular pick-up concept based on the large Škoda Kodiaq SUV.
• Škoda Slavia (2020) – an exciting spider based on the Škoda Scala, recalling the company’s founding 125 years earlier and the name of its first bicycle.
• Škoda Afriq (2022) – a Kamiq crossover model turned into a 4×4 rally car, marking the project’s first collaboration with Škoda Motorsport.
• Škoda Roadiaq (2023) – an all-electric, multifunctional mobile office camper for digital nomads, based on the Škoda Enyaq.
The tradition of first-class professional education and support at Škoda’s headquarters in Mladá Boleslav goes back almost 100 years. Škoda founded this training school back in 1927. It has been a private Škoda Auto facility since 1991 and is now part of the Škoda Academy, which opened in 2013. Having started with 58 students in its first year, it has seen over 24,000 graduates pass through its doors to date. By the 2024/25 school year, enrolment had grown to more than 750 students. The Škoda Vocational School offers three year and four year training courses: the three-year courses end with a final examination and a Certificate of Apprenticeship, the four-year courses with a high-school diploma. Many graduates then continue their education in post-secondary studies or at university, or they join Škoda Auto directly. The company offers every graduate employment. The Škoda Vocational School’s main focus is on mechanical and electrical engineering, with a special emphasis on future oriented technologies. A total of 16 technical training courses are currently available, 13 in the form of full-time studies and 3 in the form of follow-up daily studies. At present, the most popular courses are those leading to an e-Car Mechanic or IT Mechatronics qualification. The curriculum is constantly updated in collaboration with the company’s departments in order to optimally meet the needs of both the trainees and the car manufacturer.