The Škoda S100/110 is now an unusual machine, but during the 1970s you often saw them outside your local newsagent or in the Fine Fare car park. Milan Simonides, the joint custodian of this handsome example, has long been a devotee of the marque's rear-engine models. As he recalls: ‘I especially remember my grandfather's cream 1967 1000MB which he sold in 1989 – I loved the smell of the vinyl upholstery.’ Today, this particular S110 is not just a rare car on British roads, but also a Škoda with a fascinating story, as we shall see shortly. First though, a little background history. It is sometimes forgotten that Škoda was the first Eastern European motor manufacturer to establish itself in the UK, with a display at the 1955 London Motor Show. From 1959 onwards their mainstay was the Octavia, a 1.1-litre front-engine/RWD saloon which enjoyed a fairly high profile in the British automotive press. However, by that time the development of its replacement was already underway.
When the 1000MB debuted in April of 1964, it marked a significant change of direction for its manufacturer. Škoda had been planning this new generation of rear-engine cars as early as 1955, and the 1000MB was
