The Felicia was first introduced way back in 1959 at the Geneva Motor Show along with the Octavia and both shared near identical bodywork below the window line. The Felicia though was a convertible and we got the opportunity to drive one in the Czech Republic, very close to the company's manufacturing facility at Mlada Boleslav.
With liberal doses of chrome that has been maintained spectacularly, elements of aluminium and a swooping behind, the car is quite a looker and with its roof safely stowed, the interiors though spartan, are in keeping with the times of over 65 years back.
To give you an idea of its size, earlier advertisements proclaim it to be a five seater with seating for three up front and for two at the back. The two doors are large enough to provide easy access to the back but it was getting behind the steering wheel that interested me more.
Powered by a 1.1-litre twin carburettor four-cylinder engine that produces just over 50bhp, I was not expecting it to be spirited and I was warned that it would not be easy to drive. The steering wheel though spindly, again in keeping with the times, looks like a work of art and its rather large diameter aids in manoeuvering the car that is not as small as one presumes it to be.
Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av Auto Today.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 2024-utgaven av Auto Today.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Big Wing Energy
TVS Motor Company has launched an updated version of the Apache RR 310, which promises to deliver not only more power and torque than before but also more bang for your buck. We recently went down to the COASTT high-performance track to test the theory
All gas All go
Tata Motors' CNG portfolio now includes the Nexon, and this might be a turning point in the way that CNG cars are perceived
Royal Blessings
We get behind the wheel of the Hyundai Exter to explore one of the most well-preserved Mughal Empire sites in our country. Curious?
Generation next
The 4th-gen of the BMW X3 has made its global debut and we were in the brand's hometown of Munich to drive the car before its European debut this year. The same will be launched in India next year
Electrified palace on wheels
Mercedes-Benz has launched the EQS SUV which is nothing short of being a palace. The other positive is that this palace is as green as it can get
Achtung! CXOs
The Mercedes-Benz E-Class LWB is back in a new generation, V214 and this time, the three-pointed stars have showcased how they use their understanding of what their customer needs to be the best-selling luxury brand in the country, year after year
Moving page 3s
The Kia Carnival is here in a facelifted avatar of the second generation (that we skipped in India), but this time, it is priced almost double the previous iteration. Does it have enough to make the price premium worth it? Read on to find out
Successore dei LaFerrari
FERRARI HAS revealed the F80, which is the successor to the LaFerrari, that made up one of the three cars in the Holy Trinity.
McLaren initiates the new trinity
MCLAREN WAS the first of the high-performance brands to reveal a weaponised hybrid system in a supercar with the P1, which became one of the three hybrids known as the Holy Trinity, with the other two being the Ferrari LaFerrari and the Porsche 918 Spyder.
Dzire creates history at GNCAP for Maruti Suzuki
MARUTI SUZUKI DZIRE has scored five stars in the Global NCAP crash tests, making it the first car from the company to achieve this feat.
