Page "Škoda Auto" Paragraph 3

The origins of what became Škoda Auto go back to the early 1890s where, like many long-established car manufacturers, a company started out manufacturing bicycles.

It was 1894, and 26-year old Václav Klement, who was a bookseller in Mladá Boleslav, in today's Czech Republic, which was then part of Austria-Hungary, was unable to obtain spare parts to repair his German bicycle.

Klement returned his bicycle to the manufacturers, Seidel and Naumann, with a letter, in Czech, asking them to carry out repairs, only to receive a reply, in German, stating: " If you would like an answer to your inquiry, you should try writing in a language we can understand ".

A disgusted Klement, despite not having technical experience, decided to start a bicycle repair shop, which he and Václav Laurin opened in 1895 in Mladá Boleslav.

Before going into business partnership with Klement, Laurin was established as a bicycle manufacturer in the nearby town of Turnov.

In 1898, after moving to their newly-built factory, the pair bought a Werner " motorcyclist ", which was produced by French manufacturer Werner Brothers.

Laurin & Klement's first motorcyclette, powered by an engine mounted on the handlebars driving the front wheels, proved dangerous and unreliable — an early incident on it cost Laurin a front tooth.

To design a safer machine with its structure around the engine, the pair wrote to German ignition specialist Robert Bosch for advice on a different electromagnetic system.

The pair's new Slavia motorcycle made its debut in 1899.