Hidden Skodas: Unlocking the brand's secret museum room

Previously owned by Hanus Hrabánek, father of Skoda Motorsport director Michal Hrabánek, it is the only example that remains in a roadworthy state. Velebný was one of a few to lead the restoration from a fire-damaged wreck. “It is a special car,” he adds.

There is another car he is keen to show us: a 1928 Skoda Hispano-Suiza 25/100 KS (pictured below). Limited to just 100 units worldwide, fitted with a 6.6-litre aircraft-derived six-cylinder engine and weighing in at around two tonnes, the monstrous-looking car – one of just a handful to have survived to this day – sits on a ramp in the corner of the room.

“It didn’t always look like this,” says Velebný, pointing at the car’s deep-blue colour, glistening chrome grille and near-perfect interior. “It was restored by the previous owner, who used a picture of another car [for reference] and everything was wrong: the shape of the bodywork, the colour of the bodywork, upholstery. It was an ugly car.”

This led Velebný to reveal his other passion for the job. “I call it archaeology,” he says, “when you have to try to make it look how it did before and look and search history to find concrete pieces about the cars. I love it. There are not many jobs that are also your hobby.”

On a mission to restore it “properly”, he set out on a demanding, multi-year project with the aim of returning the car to its original form. To do this, he started at the beginning and tracked down its first owner. “I searched and found the family, visited them, explained what I needed and they helped to trace their family and gave me access to their archives,” says Velebný.

“There were five huge boxes of small photographs, and in the end I found four pictures and one video. From that I got an impression of how the car looked from each angle, and I was able to completely restore it to its original ‘wow’ state.”

As Velebný’s stories reveal, this isn’t just a job for the Czech native – this is the life he was always destined to live, and for good reason. He comes from a long line of Skoda workers and is the third generation of Velebný – his son, currently studying engineering, is set to become the fourth – to be employed by the nation’s car maker. 

But choosing to take a job in the depository 10 years ago, having been at the company since 1990, was a decision driven with family in mind.

“My grandfather, father and uncle, they built the history,” he says. “I’m now maintaining it.”

His grandfather Josef – who worked for the pre-Skoda-takeover Laurin & Klement from 1925 – was chief designer of bodywork between 1946 and 1966. He oversaw an array of revolutionary technological changes, from safer, more robust and more spacious all-metal bodies from the 1200 to the brand’s first monocoque chassis in the rear-engined 1000 MB.

The apple really didn’t fall far from the tree, as Josef’s two sons – Michal’s father Dusan and uncle Milan – joined the company in the early 1960s. Dusan, who was the owner of the other 1100 OHC Coupé, headed the testing centre of the Czech car maker’s Research and Development Institute, while Milan developed engines for the brand’s racing cars, from Formula 3 to the immortal 130 RS.

“You could say it runs in the family,” jokes Velebný, while standing in front of his grandfather’s signature, which adorns one of the museum’s walls.

In his role, the third-generation Velebný leads a team of five people at the depository: one engine specialist, two bodywork specialists and another two ‘hybrid’ specialists. “And me, the boss,” adds Velebný.

But for him, this is much more than a day job. “Of course,” he laughs when asked if he owns any classic Skodas himself. The list he rattles off doesn’t disappoint. In his five-car garage sits a Favorit Rally – currently being restored with his son – and a Skoda Formula 3 car which is “on the waiting list”.

But his prize possession is something of a gem: Skoda’s sole-running Le Mans car, which finished fifth in 1950’s 24-hour event. Adorned with the number 44, it has been fully restored by Velebný over six years, and he now campaigns it in the Le Mans Classic event each year. “Many projects,” he says. “It is like having my own museum at home, but there is not enough space!”

Back in the workshop, filled with period machinery used on a daily basis, we again look over the 110 L Rallye, today being readied for a special display at the museum. “This building is more than 100 years old,” says Velebný, pointing at the tattered walls and beamed ceiling. “We are restoring historic cars in a historic building.”

Special operations

One of the most sought-after rooms to visit at the Mladá Boleslav museum is the prototypes and sports cars depository. Requiring a special key and even a guide to enter, it is a space filled with some of Skoda’s most iconic one-offs, concepts and treasured cars.

With a single aisle to walk down, you’re flanked by some of the brand’s unique creations, from concept-only cars such as the Joyster hatchback, to the first designs of the Roomster MPV and Yeti SUV.