The unknown story of a Skoda that went around the world 86 years ago and had a consumption of 10.2 liters/100 km

How much would a modern car consume if it went on a trip around the world? Nowadays, one would probably opt for an offroader or at least an SUV, and if it were to go in really difficult conditions, on roads without asphalt, the consumption would be noticeably high, even if we were talking about an electric model. 86 years ago, however, back in 1934, a simple compact Skoda managed to go around the world at a galloping pace, achieving a consumption of only 10.2 liters/100 km, which equals 23 mpg.

So, the trip around the world took place on board a single car, in which only two people traveled, without any additional help. The leader of the expedition and the author of the idea was the Czechoslovak businessman Bretislav Jan Prochazka, and the reserve driver and the man who helped with navigation was Jindrich Kubias.

Photo: The protagonists of the expedition The expedition

The car was a Skoda Rapid, a compact model by the standards of the time. Under the hood was a liquid-cooled 1.4 liter inline 4 engine with a Solex carburettor. The construction of the model provided for an independent suspension on both axles and brakes assisted by a hydraulic circuit — two important features, which made it suitable for such an adventure. It is interesting, however, that this Rapid model did not have ventilation with heating, being a semi-cabriolet. The heat from the engine penetrated the interior only as a side effect, through the free spaces in the bodywork.

The dark blue car was a standard one in its constructive essence, but it had been slightly adapted in terms of accessories, to better cope with the tough expedition that was ahead of it. The engineer Vilem Frynta was responsible delegated to the Skoda factory in Mlada Boleslav for the preparation of the car, and its final assembly took place on April 11, 1936.

That Skoda Rapid was going to go around the world at a time when unpaved roads were still dominant in most countries of the world, and the infrastructure of gas stations was still very far from that of today's times, therefore it was necessary little accessories to prepare the 1936 car for such conditions. First of all, that Skoda got the best off-road tires of the time, produced by Matador. There was no change to the car's suspension, however, it remaining standard.

It was decided, however, that a larger than standard tank of 35 liters was needed. And two tanks were actually installed. One, of 48 liters, had been placed behind the engine, and another of 60 liters — in the trunk floor. It was estimated that this way the car will have a guaranteed autonomy of 800-900 km. And because we are talking about a time when engine oil consumption was the norm, an additional oil tank was installed in front of the engine, so that it could run longer without reaching oil insufficiency.

The two protagonists wanted to keep the radio in the car, which could be installed as an option. But at that time radios operated on lamps and were more vulnerable to external vibrations, and as it was expected that the car would be shaken a lot on the expedition, the device was installed under the passenger seat, fixed to it, thus benefiting from additional damping of shocks. And it is curious that at that time the radio was one of the main consumers of electricity on board a car, and that Skoda had also received additional front fog lights, therefore the two, together with the Skoda engineer, were concerned that the alternator would not manage to provide battery charge and electricity for the spark plugs. So they resorted to installing a Swiss Vertex magnet, which works on a mechanical basis and a permanent magnet, thus being autonomous from the car's electrical system and providing spark electricity with unwavering durability.

Photo: Such roads had to be endured by that Skoda Rapid in the 1934 expedition.

The car also received a more powerful engine generator, but also two batteries instead of one, which were installed in the trunk. By the way, a ventilation system was made for them, or, at that time, the batteries emitted small amounts of sulfuric acid vapors. All the electrical wiring of the car was additionally insulated, so as not to produce short circuits when the car would have advanced through deep water. On the back seat there were boxes protected from dust, where the boxes of films and a Kodak Retina camera were stored, with which the two would immortalize the moments of the expedition. With such preparation, that Skoda Rapid and the two adventurers on board set off from Prague on April 25, 1936.

The car initially went to Germany, then headed to Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, independent countries at that time. The two started even though they had not yet received authorizations and confirmations from all the countries on the route, especially from the USSR, or, they wanted to cross it practically in a straight line towards Japan, or at most to enter China a little. Arriving at the border of the USSR, they were treated with suspicion, having cameras, binoculars and pretending that they wanted to cross the USSR. It was the period when Stalin's dictatorship had established itself fiercely and even all public maps had been withdrawn from sale. And at customs, those who entered the country received a guide from the Intourist state agency, which had to accompany them throughout their stay in the USSR, a guide who could drive either one of the GAZ and Ford cars that were assigned there, or with the tourist's car.

Photo: The line of cars assigned to guides from the USSR, to accompany tourists

In the case of Czechoslovak travelers, the guides, who changed several times along the route, boarded the Skoda. Travelers were allowed to enter the USSR, but not to cross the entire country to the east. They were ordered to go south to Baku after reaching Moscow, and from there to Iran on the Caspian Sea.

The advance in the USSR was also difficult because of the bad and muddy roads. They got stuck many times and the designated guide never wanted to help them. The villagers, however, jumped to their aid every time. Skoda traveled 3,260 km from Moscow to Baku in 7 days. After the USSR, Iran seemed like a true oasis of civilization and rest. But nature presented them with challenges here as well, making them advance through a merciless sandstorm that did not stop for several days.

Photo: Conditions of shipment to the USSR for Skoda from the expedition

In Afghanistan, they also had an encounter with road thieves, who also shot at them, but the two expeditioners managed to escape with their Rapid.

In China they were not allowed to enter the western part, only the eastern part, in the Shanghai area, which was then modeled closer to Western standards. And that meant the need to go through Pakistan and India. And because of this they had to go from Quetta, Paristan, to Mumbai, India, in 3 days of non-stop driving, day and night, in order not to miss the ferry to Sri Lanka.

From Sri Lanka they went by water to Malaysia, then Singapore, then Hong Kong and the eastern part of China. And from Shanghai another ship took them to Japan, to Kobe. From there, they took the Pacific Ocean route to San Francisco, via Honolulu.

And crossing the USA meant galloping on many roads with gravel or only dirt. Interstate highways didn't exist back then. And despite these conditions, the Skoda Rapid crew managed to cover the entire US territory, from west to east to New York, 5,300 km, in only 100 hours and 55 minutes, breaking the previous record that existed at the time by over 9 hours!

Photo: Skoda Rapid in the USA

After crossing the Atlantic, they arrived in France at Cherbourg, and then headed for Paris, Nuremberg, finally arriving in Prague on August 1, 1936, at 11:55. Their journey took 98 days in total, but because they traveled east they gained a day on the calendar and according to it, it took 97 days. Of them, 44 days were for driving.

That Skoda Rapid traveled 15 countries, on 3 continents, totaling a land distance of 27,700 km and an average of 630 km per day. The only problem with the car was the windshield wiper, which was permanently stuck in unnatural positions and caused the burning of a lot of fuses in its electrical circuit. Otherwise, the car went forward without major problems. The engine consumed 54 liters of oil and 2,820 liters of gasoline, which means an average consumption of 10.2 liters/100 km! A more than decent consumption for such advanced conditions, so even for today, not to mention a car from 86 years ago!

Thus, the Skoda Rapid with registration numbers P30871 remained in the history of the brand as the first Skoda to circumnavigate the world, demonstrating the exceptional quality of cars built in Czechoslovakia since then and collecting speed records!