Škoda 130 RS Celebrates 50 Years as the Porsche of the East

Volkswagen-owned Škoda has a lot to celebrate in 2025. The company held its 130th birthday party at the Retromobile show in Paris last month, and it’s celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 130 RS race car.

Czech Republic-based Škoda isn’t a household name in the United States, but you’ve probably heard of the brand if you follow the World Rally Championship (WRC). Škoda entered the series in 1999 with the Octavia and still races today, though it focuses on the WRC2 category that’s open to production-based cars. Every car it has built for WRC traces its roots to the 130 RS that made its public debut in April 1975.

Škoda channeled the lessons learned during the 180 RS and 200 RS projects, which were also developed for racing, into the 130 RS. Offered only as a coupe, the 130 RS was essentially an evolution of the 110 R which was in turn related to the 110 sedan. Put another way, it wasn’t the most cutting-edge car that you could imagine lining up on a starting grid, but Škoda knew exactly what to modify to make it competitive.

Power for the 130 RS came from a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 113 horsepower in its most basic state of tune. That figure increased to 142 horsepower in the variant built for circuit racing. These aren’t jaw-dropping figures today, but keep in mind that the coupe weighed less than 1,600 pounds thanks to the widespread use of lightweight materials like aluminum and fiberglass. That alone was noteworthy: composites were still relatively new in that era, and Škoda was a mass-market brand operating behind the Iron Curtain. It’s not an overstatement to say the 130 RS redefined Škoda’s image at home and abroad.

The 130 RS became affectionately known as the Porsche of the East thanks to its rear-mounted engine, and it was praised by enthusiasts, pilots, and journalists for its surprisingly agile handling. Škoda quoted a top speed of about 136 mph, a number that became even more impressive when put into context. The 110 R’s 1.1-liter four-cylinder developed 61 horsepower and unlocked a top speed of about 90 mph.

In May 1975, a month after its debut, the 130 RS finished third and fourth in the sub-2,000-cc category in a European Touring Car Championship race held in Brno, which at the time was located in Czechoslovakia. The coupe also took first in its class (and 12th overall) at the 1977 Monte Carlo Rally and eighth overall at the 1979 Acropolis Rally, and it claimed the overall title in the 1981 European Touring Car Championship.

Škoda built nearly 200 units of the 130 RS, though it notes that dozens more were “built privately using factory-supplied components.” Today, the 130 RS stands out as one of the brand’s most sought-after models. Many were raced, crashed, rebuilt, raced again, crashed again, and so on, so finding one is easier said than done. Numerous replicas were built over the years, too, which makes life far more complicated if you’re in the market for one. But, find a genuine 130 RS and you’ve bagged the holy grail of Škodas.

If you’re anywhere near the Czech Republic, check out (pun not intended… or was it?) the Škoda museum in Mladá Boleslav to see the 130 RS in the metal. Three examples will be displayed until April 27, 2025.