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Václav Laurin

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Václav Laurin in 1893

Václav Laurin (16 October 1865, Kamení near Pěnčín – 13 August 1930, Mladá Boleslav) was a Czech engineer, industrialist and automotive pioneer who, along with Václav Klement, founded automobile manufacturer Laurin & Klement that later became today's Škoda Auto.

Career

He apprenticed as a locksmith in Mladá Boleslav, where, in 1895, he and Václav Klement founded the company Laurin & Klement (now Škoda Auto). At the beginning of December 1895, the mechanic Václav Laurin and the book-seller Václav Klement, both bicycle enthusiasts, started manufacturing bicycles of their own design, patriotically named Slavia in the nationalist atmosphere of the end of the 19th century.[1] In 1905, Laurin manufactured their first automobile. Today, the company enjoys world-wide popularity under the brand Škoda Auto.[2]

He was prominently engaged in the construction company Laurin & Klement, together with his collaborator Václav Klement, co-founder of the company. He participated in the construction of vehicles there. In his later years, he was the technical director of Škoda Auto.

References

  1. ^ [1] Archived 17 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Bhasin Motors" (in Czech). 2004. Archived from the original on 2 June 2004.