The only surviving Skoda 966 Supersport race car has been restored by Skoda specialists and is now an exhibit at the Czech carmaker’s museum.
In 1950 Skoda built three 966 Supersport race cars of which only one has survived to this day. Last seen on the racing track in 1962, the car was owned for many years by Slovakian racing driver Ivan Mičík. In 2007 the vehicle was bought by the Skoda museum, which started an extensive restoration work.
Featuring an aluminum body, this particular Skoda 966 Supersport is the third and last car built. It made its racing debut in the Grand Prix of Czechoslovakia on September 24, 1950. In the hands of Miroslav Fousek, the car took second place in the category of up to 1100cc. It began the following racing season began with a win in the sports car category at the races in Liberec.
The 996 Supersport cars continued to appear in a series of races in the following years, with Skoda constantly improving them, especially in the engine department. Engineers began with a naturally aspirated 1.1-liter engine with two carburetors, but later came up with another version featuring two compressors.
The former version had a higher bonnet with a pronounced “bulge” hiding the two carburetors. Later Skoda increased the engine displacement to 1,221cc, while in the final phase of development a new prototype engine was installed, which had a capacity of 1500cc and either four carburettors, and/or two compressors.
The version with carburetors produced up to 90 hp, while the supercharged version developed up to 180 hp. In the autumn of 1953, Václav Bobek achieved a new speed record of 197.8km/h (122.9mph) in the version with two compressors, making the Skoda 966 Supersport the fastest automobile in Czechoslovakia at that time.
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