Skoda’s New Slavia B Concept Is Based on a Motorcycle From 1899

Czech automaker Skoda just unveiled a new all-electric motorcycle concept that is a delightful ode to a bicycle the company built more than a century ago—and a reminder of how long two-wheeled mobility has been a feature of modern life.

The Slavia B was designed in-house, and it is the first of what Skoda hopes will be several new tributes to old classics. The new launch is a tribute to the old Slavia B, which was made by Laurin & Klement, the predecessor company of modern-day Skoda. Romain Bucaille, who normally works on car exteriors for Skoda, is the designer of the recent creation and described it as a nice change of pace.

“I began with pencil sketches—it had been a while since I’d drawn a motorcycle,” Bucaille said in a statement. “But the great thing about sketching on paper is that it’s instant. No need for a screen—just ideas flowing freely.”

One of the new Slavia B’s defining features is the gap of air where, ordinarily, one would see an engine on a motorcycle—the V-twin of a Harley-Davidson, for example. The gap is meant to be minimalist, like the rest of the bike’s design. The built-in leather tool bag is a nod to the old Slavia B’s sporting past, specifically the rider Narcis Podsedníček, who rode a Slavia B in 1901’s Paris-Berlin race.

Bucaille calls the new Slavia B a “futuristic café racer in Modern Solid style,” café racer being a reference to a style of motorcycles popularized in the U.K. in the 1960s known for their minimalism and speed. For now, Bucaille’s concept is merely, well, a concept, and Skoda did not say if it would enter production.

If it did, it would be an intriguing continuation of the Laurin & Klement legacy. The company was founded in 1895 as a bicycle manufacturer; its first cars were made in 1905, and it became part of Skoda in 1925. Today, Laurin & Klement still exists as a trim to put a luxury sheen on cars like the Superb. At the turn of the 20th century, the brand was one of hundreds of new manufacturers competing to build bikes and cars, most of which did not survive. Laurin & Klement did, though, and so did Skoda, which is now part of Volkswagen. That Laurin & Klement and Skoda are still imagining new bikes after more than 125 years of existence is a sign, in some ways, of how little has changed.

Click here for more photos of the Skoda Slavia B.

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