Tap, pump, crank: starting the first car from Mladá Boleslav

The Laurin & Klement Voiturette A motor carriage marked the brand’s transition from two wheels to four. This automotive grandfather thus laid the foundations for the dynamic development of the entire car manufacturer. Discover how it was operated.

19. 3. 2026 Škoda World

The Voiturette A model, still officially classified at the time as a motor carriage, received official permission for road operation in 1906. The basic version carried a price tag of 3,600 crowns. At the time, a worker earned on average 12 crowns per week, meaning it would have taken roughly six years to earn enough for a new vehicle from Mladá Boleslav.

Laurin & Klement Voiturette A is powered by a V-twin engine with an output of seven horsepower

From today's perspective, this modest performance was sufficient to propel the car to speeds of up to 40 km/h

The fuel tank is located in a similar place to where modern cars have their dashboard

It is precisely at the tank where the starting procedure begins. First, the driver must open a tap to allow petrol to flow into the carburettor located in the engine compartment. At the time, fuel was sold by weight in kilograms. The Voiturette A consumed approximately four kilograms of fuel per 100 kilometres.

After allowing petrol to enter the carburettor, the driver must use a hand pump to supply oil to the engine bearings. He then moves to the front of the vehicle, where he opens the exhaust valve using the decompressor, and can finally start the engine using the starting crank. Before doing so, however, a lever on the steering wheel is used to set the optimal position of the carburettor linkage in order to maintain the correct engine speed.

Set the correct engine speed in advance on the steering wheel, then just give the crank a good swing and you're ready to go

The luxury of starting the engine with a key or button came much later. 120 years ago, the driver had to stand in front of the car

With the engine started, how does one set off? To the right of the driver there are two levers. The left one is used for shifting gears, while the right one serves as a handbrake acting on the rear wheels. The left pedal operates the clutch, as it does today, while the right pedal controls a brake acting on the gearbox. Throttle input is also controlled by a lever on the steering wheel while driving. In the hands of an experienced driver, the car could thus reach speeds of up to 40 km/h.

There are two levers to the right of the driver. The left one is used for shifting gears, the right one as a handbrake for the rear wheels