After the 110R, Skoda’s design studio has taken another dive into its archives, reviving one of its most obscure models — the 1000 MBX coupé — as a fully electric concept. The reinterpretation, unveiled as part of the brand’s ‘Icons Get a Makeover’ series, gives the rare 1960s two-door a futuristic twist under Skoda’s ‘Modern Solid’ design philosophy.
Skoda produced the original 1000 MBX between 1966 and 1969. It was a compact rear-engine coupé derived from the 1000 MB sedan — its first car built with unibody construction.
With fewer than 2,600 examples made, it remains one of the rarest production cars in the Czech automaker’s history. Its rebirth, though strictly digital, pays tribute to that legacy while pushing the boundaries of Skoda’s design experimentation.
Upright headlamps
Exterior designer Antti Savio and interior specialist David Stingl led the project, completing it in just four weeks. Their reinterpretation preserves some visual cues from the original, such as the upright headlamps, pronounced beltline, and pillarless silhouette, but reimagines the car for a new era.
Built around a flat-floor EV platform of unknown origin, the new 1000 MBX trades practicality for more. It features sliding doors and a compact three-box shape that enhances the coupé’s proportions. And we’re probably not the only ones spotting some resemblance to the Porsche 914.
Folding rear seats
Sporty or not, on the inside as well, the designers pay tribute to the brand’s focus on space and clever functionality. The 2+2 seating layout features cinema-style folding rear seats that can be stowed to create generous cargo room, while the front seats appear as a seamless bench.
A glass-covered dashboard projects digital instruments, but their graphics are a nod to the analog simplicity of its ancestor. Also note the sign language on the pedals: minus is for braking, plus for acceleration.
Like the other concepts from this series, the 1000 MBX concept is not slated for production. Skoda calls it a creative study meant to explore how the brand’s past might blend more emotionally with an electric future.
According to the designers, today’s performance cars lack elegance and friendliness, qualities they aim to reignite through their form language. As the brand is practicing so extensively with variations on the coupé theme, one can only conclude that something is brewing in Skoda’s kitchen.
