Skoda students have turned this Superb Estate into a bike-carrying pickup truck

Skoda loves cycling. Of course, the Czech firm started out with Václav Laurin and Václav Klement making bicycles all the way back in 1895, and in slightly more recent times it has been a main partner of the Tour de France for over two decades.

So it’s perhaps no surprise this year’s concept car produced by the students of the Skoda Academy in Mladá Boleslav is a cyclist's dream support vehicle. Christened the Skoda L&K 130, this is the first Skoda student concept to be based on the Superb Estate, and the kids have turned it into a rad pickup style thing with space for two bikes on the racks in the extendable bed, and another on the roof.

Set to be shown off at the Tour de France in July, this thing also gets a sliding rear passenger door that can be opened safely alongside riders in a pro bike race. On the inside there’s extra displays for the passengers to see erm… cycling data, plus a cool box in place of the left rear seat and a large storage net attached to the underside of the roof for “small items such as energy bars or bandages”.

There are retro Laurin & Klement badges all over and that matching white, red and gold paint, and the whole thing is based on the plug-in hybrid Superb so it’ll run silently on electric power when required.

We’re told it took the 28 students more than 2,000 hours to plan, develop and produce the L&K 130, and we reckon a Superb Ute would be an excellent production car. The return of the Felicia Fun at last?