Ask any car enthusiasts aged 30 or more about Skoda cars of their youth and the chances are they’ll still remember a joke or two about the Estelle and Rapid models that were a common sight on the roads back in the 70’s and 80’s.  How do you double the value of a Skoda? Fill it with petrol!! What do you call a convertible Skoda? A skip!!  Why do Skoda’s have heated rear windows? To keep your hands warm when you’re pushing them!! Oh how we used to chuckle whenever we saw somebody actually driving one.

Back in 1894 when a Czechoslovakian bookseller named Václav Clement had difficulty obtaining spare parts for his German-made bicycle and wrote to them, he was so disgusted by their reply that he decided to start his own bicycle repair shop. Despite having no technical knowledge, he went into partnership with a bicycle manufacturer from a nearby town who’s name was Václav Laurin. Read more…

Whilst visiting my local Sainsbury’s petrol station last week to refuel my guzzling Vito with yet another £80 worth of Diesel, I couldn’t help but notice the AA van opposite. It was connected to a 2006 Audi A3 by a series of pipes and a big warning sign informed passers-by that they shouldn’t smoke, use naked flames or mobile telephones. A quick glance in the back of the van revealed an array of shiny dials and gauges and it was very reminiscent of an aircraft refuelling truck used to refule jets at Heathrow! Read more…