In 1962, Škoda presented the compact Type 998, a maneuverable and compact special vehicle for use in agriculture, forestry and the army. Although the Type 998 was completely convincing on off-road test drives, the 'Agromobil' flatbed vehicle with folding windshield never went into series production. However, the 3.50 meter long vehicle with space for up to ten passengers made it onto the big screen. Today, one of the 13 Type 998 vehicles produced is part of the Škoda Museum's vehicle collection.
Motorcycles for agriculture
Vehicles from Laurin & Klement and later from Škoda have always been functional and versatile. Even the motorcycles from the early days of the company also powered smaller agricultural units when required - the short leather belt to the rear wheel was easily replaced by a longer one, which then led to a stationary machine. At the beginning of the 20th century, the company's product portfolio also included generating sets, which were powered either by modified car engines or the company's own diesels.
From 1912, massive and powerful Excelsior P4 motorized ploughs with L&K four-cylinder engines also proved their worth in agricultural operations when tilling fields. Shortly afterwards, the range of motorized ploughs was extended by a smaller model, whose qualities as a tractor and for earthworks during the First World War were also relied upon by the military. Meanwhile, the later Škoda parent company in Pilsen was already producing tractors and other agricultural machinery with the winged arrow.
An all-rounder was needed...
At the end of the 1950s and beginning of the 1960s, Škoda already had decades of expertise in the construction of off-road commercial vehicles. At that time, there was a lack of compact, maneuverable and therefore lightweight and versatile off-road vehicles in Czechoslovakia. The Ministry of Agriculture in Mladá Boleslav therefore asked whether it would be possible to design a model that would meet the requirements of agriculture and forestry and could also be used in open-cast mining. It should also be suitable for the army. During the Cold War, this was often an essential additional requirement or even a basic prerequisite, which is why many military projects at the time had civilian code names.
Small arms, bicycles and motorcycles
This gave rise to the idea for the development of the Type 998 'Agromobil', which began at Škoda in January 1961. The car manufacturer, then called AZNP ('Automobilové závody národní podnik' or 'State Automobile Works'), worked together with Česká zbrojovka Strakonice, a manufacturer of handguns, bicycles and motorcycles under the ČZ brand. The new model was to be manufactured there, as AZNP's capacities were already fully utilized. However, the three prototypes of the 998 were built in Mladá Boleslav and used numerous components from Škoda's series models.
Up to 10 people in 3.5 meters
The overriding principle in the design of the 'Agromobil' was 'form follows function'. The compact vehicle was 3.47 meters short and 1.70 meters wide and had a self-supporting body with a platform body, which was covered by a tarpaulin, as was the cab for the driver and co-driver. The loading edge of the 1.98 meter long and 1.59 meter wide loading area was only 70 centimeters above the road surface. In combination with the 1.24-metre-high soft top, this resulted in a 3.9 cubic meter cargo area that was easy to access and easy to load. Optionally, up to eight people could be seated on two longitudinally arranged benches. With driver and front passenger, the Type 998 offered space for up to ten people in this configuration.
Windshield folds down to the front
One of the special features of the versatile off-road vehicle was the undivided windshield: it could be folded forward. This reduced the vehicle height of the 'Agromobile' from 1.94 to 1.41 meters - ideal for driving through the forest or transport by plane. The excellent off-road characteristics were mainly due to the wheelbase of just 1.90 meters and the short body overhangs, which enabled an almost identical slope angle of almost 45 degrees at the front and rear. A generously dimensioned ground clearance of 290 millimetres when the vehicle was empty and 230 millimetres when fully loaded also contributed to the off-road capability. The individually suspended wheels were guided by trapezoidal wishbones at the front, while trailing arms with torsion bar suspension were used at the rear axle.
Drive yourself - or drive other devices
The drive was provided by a water-cooled in-line four-cylinder engine with OHV valve control. It came from the Škoda 1202, the popular 'Stationwagon' built from 1961 to 1973, and was installed longitudinally behind the front axle between the driver and passenger seats. It produced 33 kW (45 hp) from a displacement of 1,221 cc. A four-speed gearbox transmitted the power via a flange-mounted reduction gear to the rear axle with limited slip differential and, if required, to the front wheels, which could also be engaged and locked.
In addition to the road reduction ratio of 1:1.30, there was also an off-road mode with a reduction ratio of 1:2.28. The 'Agromobil' could also drive equipment for field and forestry work via a PTO shaft at the rear. The unladen weight of 936 kilograms was 46 percent on the rear axle. When fully loaded, the Type 998 could weigh up to 1,736 kilograms, with 56 percent of the total weight distributed over the rear 6.00-16 wheels.
79 days for 29,953 kilometers
Of the three prototypes initially built, two went to ČZ at the planned production site in Strakonice, while the third 'Agromobil' remained in Mladá Boleslav and underwent a tough practical test there. In just 79 days, it covered a remarkable 29,953 kilometers and was measured at a top speed of 89 km/h - perfectly adequate for a vehicle of this type. A comparative test by a military test center, for which a further ten Type 998s were built, proved to be the acid test.
Better than the competition
The test center rated the off-road capability of the 'Agromobile' as good; the Škoda also outperformed the Soviet GAZ 69, which was the standard vehicle of the Warsaw Pact armies at the time. The reasons why series production of the Type 998 never got off the ground are primarily to be found in the peculiarities of the centrally controlled planned economy and the lack of influence of the Czechoslovak army.
"If only a thousand clarinets"
The general public only became aware of the flatbed front-wheel drive on January 29, 1965: On this Friday, the Czechoslovakian musical 'Kdyby tisíc klarinetů' ('If only a thousand clarinets') premiered. In one scene of this anti-war film, a military commando pursues a pacifist deserter with two copies of the 'Agromobile'. The then 26-year-old leading actor Jiří Menzel also proved his great talent as a director shortly afterwards: in 1968, his comedy 'Love on a Timetable' (German TV title: 'Scharf beobachtete Züge') won the Oscar for best foreign film.
One of the three prototypes of the 'Agromobil' is now part of the Škoda Museum collection in Mladá Boleslav, as is the Type 973 'Babeta' from 1952. It was another Škoda light off-road vehicle that impressed on the big screen in the musical 'Kdyby tisíc klarinetů'.
