What's all this about?
Skoda’s vocational school, known as the Skoda Academy, has been churning out one-off concepts for more than a decade, and this, the tenth so-called ‘Azubi’ car, goes back to the company’s roots in bicycles. Based on a Superb Estate, the L&K 130 is designed to support teams in long-distance bike races, such as the Tour de France, following pelotons over long days to keep riders hydrated and to keep their bikes in tip-top condition.
What's an Azubi car?
Skoda has been running its vocational school, now known as the Skoda Academy, for almost a century, and since 2014, the company has tasked its students with building a one-off concept car as part of the Azubi project. It started with the Citijet – essentially a Citigo roadster with a loud exhaust, a big sound system and no roof – but more recent efforts include an Enyaq electric camper van called the Roadiaq and a Kamiq rally car called the Afriq.
Other notable efforts include the Funstar, which was a Fabia pick-up truck, and the Element, which once again saw the Citigo lose its roof as part of its transition to a doorless, all-electric dune buggy.
So what’s this year’s car?
It’s called the L&K 130, and it’s a Skoda Superb Estate that has undergone some pretty major surgery. Taking inspiration from Skoda’s roots as a bicycle maker, the car has been built to support Skoda-sponsored bicycle race teams on long-distance road races, such as the Tour de France or the Giro d’Italia. In fact, Skoda and this year’s intake of 28 students have taken it so seriously that they enlisted the help of professional cycle racers to make it as useful as possible.
Under the skin, very little has changed. The car has the same 1.5-litre plug-in hybrid powertrain you might find in your neighbour’s Superb, and it gets the same gearbox and front-wheel-drive propulsion. But the bodywork and the interior have both been altered quite dramatically.
It doesn't look much like an estate...
That’s because Skoda’s students have made merry with the tin snips, cutting away much of the Superb’s rear end to create a kind of pick-up truck shape. Behind the rear seats is a rear window that looks out over a metal-lined load bed that measures 80cm in length. And is filled with bikes.
Apparently, when you’re fighting for the yellow jersey, it’s much faster to simply swap bikes when you have a problem, rather than trying to mend one at the roadside. So teams carry spares on the roof of the car, then simply give one to a rider if they have a problem. It sounds simple enough, and Skoda’s students have indeed fitted a conventional bike rack to the L&K 130’s roof bars, but their research found a problem. A car’s roof is, generally speaking, quite high up, and it’s difficult to reach a bike down from there. So the Skoda Academy fabricated a solution.
The L&K 130 has a sliding bike rack that, when stowed, keeps the bikes at an angle, with their front wheels on the roof and the rear wheels in the load bed. But when the car stops, the driver can extend the tailgate to stretch the load bay to 190cm, and the bike rack lowers at the same time. Then, the bike is in a much flatter, lower position, from which it’s easier to remove.
It’s clever stuff, but not quite as clever as the rear door, which Skoda decided should slide, rather than opening conventionally. The idea, apparently, is that a sliding door is less likely to knock a hapless and unsuspecting rider off their bike. And while the students tried fitting a van-style, rail-mounted door, it wouldn’t fit on the Superb’s body, so they devised their own dual-hinge solution. Hence the two door handles on the passenger-side rear door.
That's very clever, but is that all?
Not even nearly. The students also fitted Starlink internet connectivity to help keep the support car in the loop about things that are happening in the race, and there’s a light bar behind the front grille to aid visibility and recognition. And that’s before we talk about the styling.
Back in the 1890s, when Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Klement were making bicycles in the Czech Republic because they thought they could do better than the Germans, the Skoda badge was black, gold and red, with the ‘L’ and ‘K’ initials. That logo now features on the L&K 130’s nose, as well as on the wheel centres and the steering wheel, while the colour scheme is inspired by that design. It also helps to break up the somewhat unconventional lines of the concept.
And that colour scheme continues inside, where the students have fitted seats from the Superb SportLine and given them a makeover, with red centres, gold stitching and white trim – a look replicated on the dashboard. It looks quite smart and professional, really, although the inclusion of an iPad and a radio somewhat spoil the illusion of a ‘proper’ special edition. Build quality is generally good, though, and the additions are primarily there for race team success, not aesthetics.
Practicality has taken a bit of a back seat, though, with Skoda ripping out two of the three rear seats to accommodate a refrigerated cabinet. So, to make up for the lack of seating and boot space, there’s a luggage net on the roof. Somehow, we suspect that might not be quite enough for your average consumer, but it’s fine in a race situation.
So is it any good?
In a word, yes. It drives much like any other Superb, albeit one with quite a lot of weight behind the rear wheels, and visibility isn’t great, but otherwise it’s comfortable and smooth. The plug-in hybrid system’s 204hp output is ample, and it’s comfortable enough to spend hours on a long stage. Mission accomplished.
When can I see it?
Skoda is planning to show the L&K 130 off at the Tour de France this year, and the company has hinted that it may even look into getting this – or at least something inspired by this – approved for use in a real race. If you’re into cycling, then, you might well see more of this car very soon.
Matt Robinson - 20 Jun 2025
