1985 Skoda Estelle 130 LR – Auction Car of the Week

We recently commented on the Skoda Octavia achieving modern classic status and how you should most definitely pick one up because, well, we know what we’re talking bout. We’ve been doing this a while now and we have the expertise and the data to back up any claims we may make about the classic car industry. But we’re not here to blow trumpets, we’re here to talk about another spicy Skoda, the Skoda Estelle 130 LR. We just thought the Octavia angle was an appropriate introduction to the topic of Skodas not being rubbish. Yes, we all remember the jokes…

Here was a pretty mundane small family car that very much rose above its station to become an unlikely rally hero in the ’70s and ’80s’. All of the right ingredients were there from the start though. Small, lightweight, rear-engined and rear-wheel drive – all characteristics that make a car incredibly effective when it comes to being chucked around the countryside. We’re looking at you Porsche 911.

We’re not talking about the lower echelons of gravel stage hooning here either. The Skoda 130 LR was developed for Group B racing. Yep, that Group B. OK, so maybe it wasn’t brushing shoulders with the likes of the Audi Quattro and Ford’s RS200 but it was still flying sideways alongside other rally heroes like the Renault 5 Turbo. Unfortunately it was a short-lived career due to the abolition of Group B racing at the end of ’86 but the achievements of the car and its talented team of drivers cannot be overstated.

Despite only displacing 1.3-litres the four-cylinder engine in the Skoda 130 LR featured an aluminium, eight-channel cylinder head and two Weber DCOE twin carburettors. This meant a peak power output of 130bhp, all of which was delivered to the rear wheels via a five-speed gearbox and self-locking differential. What made the Skoda so competitive is its ability to utilise all of this power combined with its low curb weight of just 730kg. That’s about the same as a bag of Nik Naks. Anything not absolutely necessary was jettisoned and many of the body panels were aluminium whilst the windows were made of plexigass.

It handled like a go-kart too thanks to trick suspension and its air-cooled front brakes and state-of-the-art hydraulic handbrake meant it could stop on a dime as well.

200 Skoda 130 LR models were built for homologation purposes alongside 20 race cars and we have No: A-5252 available for your consideration via our auctions platform. One of the five cars registered as “155” to “159” and imported by Skoda UK exclusively for rally purposes this particular 130 LR was retained by Skoda UK and underwent a comprehensive conversion to full rally specifications, participating in the 1985 Lombard RAC Rally.

The five-year restoration (including a full engine rebuild) has seen the car back to fantastic original condition with just the addition of some choice mechanical and interior/competition enhancements that include an Omex shift light, switches for fans, spotlights, and fuel pumps, as well as a Brantz International 2S Pro Tripmeter on the passenger side. A Stilo DG-10 with active noise cancelling facilitates communication with the co-driver making this Skoda Estelle 130 LR ready for competition once more.

With an increasing interest in rally cars from the 1980s, original 130 LR factory cars like this one are now in great demand among collectors. Not only is it a bona fide piece of Skoda’s rich history but it’s also your gateway into historic rallying.

Head over to the listing for a full run down of the specs and mods and pore over the myriad pictures before chucking in a bid. Live your Group B dreams! Nobody is making jokes about this rally legend. What a thing.