	Gregor's Diamond Underdogs

The Skoda Rapid

This represents the first, and possibly only time, I was seduced by automotive advertising. I would never have looked at Skoda if it hadn't been for the "What handles like a Porsche and is more fun than a GTi?" ads. I'm glad I did, because I'm now on my third (a Favorit).

All my Skodas have exceeded my expectations of them. The rear-engined Rapid broke down only once in three years, albeit in a big way. It threw a rod through the side of the block (must have thought it was a Spitfire 1500), leaving the block looking like John Hurt's stomach after the alien popped out. My sister was less fortunate with an Estelle she bought. It was plagued with unreliability, partly because of poor maintenance by a previous owner, and she sold it after she was overtaken by her own rear wheel.

I'm a school teacher, and having a Skoda was, in the late eighties, the equivalent of having "insult me" tattooed on my forehead. Except that, at first, the kids thought it was a Saab.

Rapids handle well, are well equipped and easy to work on. The engine comes out the back on a trolley jack, for example. They cope well with bad weather and can haul themselves out of snow in conditions that leave expensive Berlin taxis floundering. If I could afford to run more than one classic, I'd happily have a Rapid convertible on my fleet.

The front end of a Skoda Rapid 135. Ideal for opening up and doing the old "someone's nicked my engine" gag with the local kids.

Rev counter, cloth highback recliners, variable speed intermittent wiper control... what more could you reasonably want?

Here now... why the Favorit deserves classic status!