Bratislava – Bratislava Transport Museum (Skoda 1101 Tudor)

This lovely aquatic number is a Škoda 1101 Tudor, a name which sounds like it might have been dreamt up in a PR meeting held over a warm and annoying Pilsner and some leftover goulash. Produced in post-war Czechoslovakia starting in 1946, the 1101 Tudor was Škoda’s way of saying “we’re back,” albeit in a very gentle, unthreatening tone and possibly with the odd backfire along the way. I accept that I don’t know much about cars and also that British manufacturers were struggling as well, but it does look a little basic whilst also I suppose being creative.

The colour is certainly striking, a sort of minty-fresh toothpaste green that suggests someone wanted to make a statement, but had access to only three pigments. It has that glorious post-war optimism baked into the paintwork, the sort that says “things may be bleak, but by God we’ll build a car with a front grille like a Venetian blind.” I suppose communism had to instil some positivity somehow.

The Škoda 1101 was powered by a 1.1-litre engine, and with my limited car knowledge this is about as powerful as a strong breeze. The name ‘Tudor’ genuinely comes from ‘two-door’, which is a stretch even by motoring standards and I thought for a while that it was some sort of urban myth. Inside, the car looked reassuringly basic, there’s a large wheel, a gear stick you could stir paint with, and seats that offer the comfort of a bus stop bench. This was a car for people who had somewhere to be and didn’t mind getting there eventually, but there’s a place for not being excessive or overly decadent. And that’s probably enough of my thoughts about communism era cars for today at least….