It will undoubtedly take a lot of imagination to see in the concept of electric motorcycle of Skoda a Slavia B cycle of 1899. And even more to imagine it on track in the absence of technical data.
Slavia B 1899-1904
When the company Laurin & Klement was created in 1895 under the impulse of a locksmith and a bookseller, it is to repair bikes and then make its own models of bicycles under the Slavia brand. Already four years later, a second workshop built its first motorcycle before embarking on the automobile.
In its press release dated this month of May 2025, Skoda indicates that this two-wheeled Slavia B released in 540 copies from 1899 to 1904 was equipped with a 240 cc monocylor block cooled by Air. Credited with a power of 1.75 horsepower, the machine was capable of boarding a person up to a maximum speed of 40 km/h.
The engine action was transmitted to the rear wheel by a flat belt. A chain and two pedals allowed the practitioner to add his own muscle strength, already to launch the bike and support mechanics in the ribs.
A work that does not need a historical crutch
If Skoda claims today the past of this brand, it is because it bought it almost a hundred years ago, on June 27, 1925. First consequence at the time, the stop of the production of bikes and motorcycles for a refocusing on cars. The concept of 2025 Café Racer way is really very far from the original Slavia B.
-However, she inspired French designer Romain Bucaille: ” I wanted to do something unique and come back to the manufacturer’s roots ». The link between the old and the future is much less obvious to find than, for example, in the evocation of the Renault 17 with the Restomod X of Ora-ITO. The exercise of style is however very different.
Although appreciating motorcycles, Romain Bucaille usually works in the style of the bodywork of Skoda cars. The features he gave to his concept do not need a historical crutch. It is a pure very aesthetic and well -balanced creation which however hides some nuggets: ” I added a vintage touch with a leather tool bag integrated into the frame – an essential element for endurance events at the time ».
A dream to follow?
The real heritage of the concept is the sporting appearance that the French designer wanted as a tribute to the factory pilot Narcis Podsedníček which was ” The only one to cross the finish line of the trying Paris-Berlin race in 1901 »Sur Slavia B.
No doubt that the concept of 2025 today only has an electric intention. Otherwise we could have dreamed with a few figures including those of the energy capacity of the battery, autonomy and engine performance. And maybe even see in a video the behavior of the bike on the circuit. To follow?
