New Skoda 110R concept revives 1970s classic with face like a wet day in Rhyl

You need only take a look at the Renault 4 and 5, Alpine A110, Ford Bronco, Fiat 500e, and several recent Hyundai concepts to realise that retro styling is back – and latest firm to embrace the trend is Skoda, with a concept reimagining the brand’s classic 110 R.

The what? If you’ve only really followed Skoda since its 1990s renaissance, you might not be familiar with some of its older models. While some see the pre-Volkswagen ownership period as a bit of a dark era, the Czech company actually made some pretty nifty cars behind the Iron Curtain, and one of those was the Skoda 110 R.

Built from 1970 to 1980, the 110 R was a neatly-styled rear-engined coupé, but is probably better known to motorsport fans as the 130 RS, which became both a rally winner and a European Touring Car Championship victor in the 1970s and 1980s – and it’s this pumped-up homologation car that Skoda’s new concept most closely resembles.

Skoda designer Richard Švec came up with the concept, though he makes clear that it’s not really a retro design, more a modern shape that takes inspiration from one of the company’s classics. Like the Renault 5, you’d be hard pressed to make the connection to the older car if you weren’t already familiar with the original.

‘My aim was to create a completely new form while carefully integrating subtle nods to the character-defining features of the 110 R. I wanted the design to feel as innovative as possible’ explained Švec. He sees the concept as being a car for young drivers who love motorsport yet want an elegant coupé for everyday use.

As you’d expect, the concept is electric, something that Švec says has helped him to keep the car’s surfacing as clean as possible. That’s particularly appropriate at the front, since the original 110 R was rear-engined and didn’t really have a traditional grille. Like those other rear-engined classics, the Fiat 500 and the Beetle, its ‘face’ came mainly from the positioning of the headlights and the design details between them.

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The concept’s face, with tiny headlights revealed by sliding covers, does look a bit downbeat (are there hints of Marvin the Paranoid Android from the 2005 Hitchhiker’s Guide movie, or is that just us?) but it’s certainly distinctive, and there’s a wraparound black trim insert that’s echoed at the back of the car too. Other neat details include a black trim panel below the rear quarter windows that references the air vents on the original 110 R, and very 1980s-style turbofan-like alloy wheels.

The new design exists only in renders right now, so there’s no clue to its power output, range, or size. Interesting though that Skoda is choosing to showcase a coupé, because if there’s one other thing that seems to be making a comeback, it’s this much-missed body style. With a new Honda Prelude on the way, Audi hinting at a next-generation TT, and now this Skoda 110 R, maybe the traditional two-door coupé will be the next big thing in the automotive world? We can only hope…

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