- Skoda 100 R Coupe - reinvented
- Electric take on an iconic ‘70s classic
- Rear-wheel drive
- 3D digital model - no plans for production
Don’t call it retro - but this is a contemporary reimagining of the iconic Skoda 110 R Coupe from the 1970s.
The fully-electric, rear-wheel drive stunner is the brainchild of Richard Švec, a designer at Škoda Auto who works in the digital modelling team.
There’s no plans to put it into production but it could end up informing Skoda’s next generation of cars.
Here’s everything you need to know.
What was special about the original Skoda 110 R Coupe?
Rewind to the 1970s, before Skoda was taken into the fold of the Volkswagen Group, and the Czech firm was looking to build a successor to the long-running 1000 MBX and 1100 MBX.
And this is what they came up with - the 110 R - a sportier version of the regular 100 saloon and which was built at the Kvasiny plant between 1970 and 1980.
First introduced to the UK market in 1971, the 110 R boasted a rear-wheel drive, rear-mounted engine layout and caught the eye with its swooping fastback silhouette.
It boasted a 1.1-litre engine delivering 62 PS and because it was light - weighing in at 880kg - it could hit 90mph, which was impressive at the time.
Skoda says the 110 R was also ‘more than just a road car’, as it also acted as the springboard for other rally and circuit racers, not least the legendary 130 RS, a motorsport monster which famously claimed the overall title in the 1981 European Touring Car Championship.
What about the new 2025 electric Skoda 110 R Coupe?
The first thing you need to know is that it’s a 3D model and not a car that’ll be put into production.
The second thing that’s different about the modern Skoda 110 R design study is that it’s fully-electric, while retaining the rear-wheel drive set-up of the original.
Skoda is at pains to point out that it’s ‘anything but retro’, and instead embraces a modern design language while giving subtle nods to the car that inspired it.
There are flared arches, a visible roll cage, centre-lock wheels, and ribbed detailing on the bonnet.
Richard Švec, the car’s designer, says the round lamps of the original have been jettisoned for something much more modern.
He says: “Lighting tells you so much about a car’s era. Reusing round headlights or retro tail lamps would have been too backward-looking. Instead, I used Skoda’s new Tech-loop lighting signature, recently introduced with the Vision O concept.”
He adds: “I didn’t want to recreate the past. The goal was to capture the spirit of the 110 R in a car that feels innovative and absolutely contemporary. Finding the right balance between heritage and modernity was the real challenge.”
Will the 2025 Skoda 100 R be put into production? No, it won’t. But that doesn’t mean you’ve seen the last of it, with Skoda saying how ‘the brand’s classic designs and rich heritage continue to inform Skoda’s design teams as they develop and craft the next generation of cars.”
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