Škoda has a long tradition of producing mid-range and luxury class models. As early as 1907, twelve years after Laurin & Klement was founded in Mladá Boleslav, the still young company launched the FF model, a vehicle that offered true luxury. The eight-cylinder in-line engine was of the company's own design. This was followed by further models with powerful and smooth-running engines developed in-house. Among other things, the engines featured an innovative Knight valve timing system. Between 1925 and 1936, the Škoda Hispano-Suiza limousine was used by the then President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and other personalities at the time. At the beginning of the 1930s, the car manufacturer from Mladá Boleslav offered a wide range of models with six-cylinder (Škoda 633, 645 and 650) and eight-cylinder (Škoda 860) engines.
However, it was the new model called Superb that became the company's flagship. This name first appeared in internal documents on October 22, 1934, and series production began in the spring of 1935. By 1949, almost 900 units of the Škoda Superb had rolled off the production line in five variants: in addition to the six-cylinder models 640 Superb (1934-1936) and Superb Type 902 (1936), the Superb Type 913 (1936-1939), the Superb 3000 OHV Type 924 (1938-1949) and the Superb 4000 Type 919 (1938-1940) with a V8 engine were also produced. Many of these models had special bodies that were specially manufactured according to the wishes of the respective customers.
Return and debut made to measure
In 2001, Škoda reintroduced the model designation and presented the first generation of the modern Škoda Superb. This underlined the Czech car manufacturer's development after becoming part of the Volkswagen Group ten years earlier. Following the premiere of the Octavia compact model in 1996, Škoda now returned to the mid-size class. At the beginning of September 2001, the Superb was transported to Lány Castle in Central Bohemia before its official trade fair premiere, where the then Czech President and great car fan Václav Havel drove the new saloon extensively.
On September 11, 2001, the Škoda Superb was finally presented to the world for the first time at the IAA in Frankfurt am Main. The 4,803 millimetre long, 1,765 millimetre wide and 1,469 millimetre high model with front-wheel drive had a wheelbase of 2,803 millimetres. The engine range for the notchback saloon comprised three petrol and two diesel units. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine produced 85 kW (115 PS), while a 1.8-liter four-cylinder turbo with 110 kW (150 PS) and a 2.8-liter V6 with 142 kW (193 PS) were also available as petrol engines. With this, the Superb reached a top speed of 237 km/h. The 1.8-liter four-cylinder turbo and the 2.8-liter V6 also featured innovative five-valve technology. For customers who placed particular value on low operating costs, the 1.9-liter TDI with 96 kW (130 PS) was the model of choice, scoring points with a standard fuel consumption of 5.7 liters per 100 kilometers. Alternatively, the range included a six-cylinder TDI with a displacement of 2.5 liters and an output of 114 kW (155 PS). A six-speed direct-shift gearbox provided the power as standard, while the five-speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox was also available in combination with the two V6 engines.
Successor with more choice
In March 2008, Škoda presented the successor generation of the Superb at the Geneva Motor Show. One year after the market launch of the notchback variant with a twin-door tailgate, another body variant followed in 2009 with the Superb Combi. By 2015, the Czech car manufacturer had produced 618,000 second-generation Superb models, which the British Top Gear magazine named 'Luxury Car of the Year' in 2009.
The third generation of the Superb, available since 2015, is more angularly styled, more spacious, with many assistance systems and more efficient engines.
Over the past 20 years, Škoda Auto has delivered a total of around 1.5 million units of the Škoda Superb.
