Škoda’s Modern Solid Slavia B: Electric Café Racer Reborn
For 130 years, Škoda has driven automotive design, drawing on a treasure trove of classics to inspire today’s styling. The marque now re-imagines legends such as the 200 RS, 1203 van and Voiturette, translating their character into expressive, twenty-first-century concepts.
The boldest vision so far marries the brand’s new Modern Solid design language to one of its most pivotal machines: the Slavia B motorcycle. Laurin & Klement engineered the original Slavia B, whose advanced specification forged Škoda’s reputation for fearless innovation; the latest electric motorcycle concept echoes that spirit while embracing sustainable mobility and digital sophistication.
Modern Solid distils minimalism and strength into clean lines, muscular forms and purposeful details. Because the Škoda story began in 1895 with bicycles and later motorcycles, launching this series with a two-wheeler feels fitting. Inspired by the 1899 Slavia B, the new café-racer style machine preserves the original frame silhouette yet opens the space once filled by a combustion engine, where the Škoda badge now appears to float. A bold vertical element divides front and rear, revealing a sculptural dialogue between heritage and progress.
French exterior designer Romain Bucaille led the project. “I wanted to return to the brand’s roots,” he explains. “As someone who also loves motorcycles, this was a refreshing change and a great creative challenge.” The front geometry honours Václav Laurin’s pioneering work on control and balance, while a pared-back seat and integrated leather tool bag recall the machine that factory rider Narcis Podsedníček rode in the gruelling 1901 Paris–Berlin race.
Bucaille sees the result as a “futuristic café racer in Modern Solid style”, distinguished by crisp edges, sculpted volumes and a signature lighting motif that defines Škoda’s evolving identity. Simple surfaces marry functional touches, upholding the company’s design philosophy with a contemporary twist.
The team worked hands-on from the first sketch to the final render. “I began with pencil sketches – it had been a while since I’d drawn a motorcycle,” Romain admits. “But the great thing about sketching on paper is that it’s instant. No need for a screen – just ideas flowing freely.” Those quick studies became digital renders that refined proportion, stance and detailing until the definitive concept emerged.
Although this Slavia B reinterpretation will not enter production, it signals Škoda’s intent: future models will celebrate a 130-year heritage while pushing design and electric technology forward. With more re-imagined classics on the horizon, the brand proves that its next chapter grows directly from an inventive, adventurous past.
