1961-1964 Škoda Octavia

“The car with the extras — at no extra cost . . .”

This vintage Škoda Octavia certainly looks a little quirky today, but in the latter 1950s, its design was deemed handsome and in tune with the contemporary tastes, especially when dressed up as the fancier Felicia convertible version.

Škoda’s eighth postwar model — hence the name Octavia, derived from the latin „octo“ — was built between 1959 and 1964. It was based on the design of the largely identical looking 1955-1959 Škoda 440. The main difference was the change from leaf springs to coil springs on the independent front axles, which was apparently enough reason for the name change.

However, the updated suspension drastically improved the ride over its predecessor, which probably helped to sell the car to many a westerner, too. The Octavia was doomed to remain scarce in its home country, and instead became one of the most successful socialist exports of the early 1960s, being shipped to more than 80 countries.

60 out of the 15,000 Octavias exported in 1959 even went to the Batista-governed Cuba. After Fidel Castro and his rebels had ousted dictator Batista and transformed the island into a socialist country, many more arrived, as an economic aid for the new ideological „brothers“. In fact, all Octavia we saw in Cuba are post-facelift versions. This facelift from 1961 introduced a slightly more angular grille opening and little fiberglass tail fins that accommodate taller taillights, as pictured here.