The body that wasn’t: The A30 minibus could use Avie technology, but it only stayed with prototypes – Garáž.cz

The late sixties were marked by numerous cross-border collaborations in the Czechoslovak automobile industry. Škoda considered the production of the 720 with Italdesign shapes, while Avia started making a compact truck with French Savie technology that was missing on our market until now. And it was on this basis that the forgotten minibus, the Karosa A30, was created.

At that time, it became obvious that the Czechoslovak market not only lacked a solid truck, but also a small bus, the so-called minibus, so it was decided to develop it. And just the bottom The A30 proved to be suitable for this type of bus. Karosa, an expert on buses, was put in charge of the construction.

Meanwhile, Karosa got the job very quickly. He already built three machines in the late 1960s, at a time when the license production of the Avie A30 was just starting – at that time still with a great need for French components and a gradual importation of Czechoslovak parts .

At the same time, the trio of prototypes differed in their focus. Karosa A30–L7 (line) was to be adapted for use on less frequent routes, where there would be larger machines of the time type Damage 706 RTO or Š series bodies they were too big, and therefore uneconomical. There was room for 24 passengers, the luggage space offered a volume of two cubic meters.

The prototype Karosa A30-D7 (remote) followed soon after, this time the remote version, making this piece much more luxurious than the first one. Twenty passengers could go here, which provided more space. Comfort has been increased by the seats with modified backrests.

The last prototype built, the Karosa A30-RPA (Radio Broadcast Car) was specially modified for radio use, especially for live broadcasting from sporting events or social events. From the outside, it looked like a sibling, but the inside was changed not for passenger transport, but for radio service. In the back of the cabin, there was a workplace for up to three radio technicians, with transmission equipment from the Tesla company.

The body of the A30 measured 6.5 meters in length, 2.3 meters in width, and 2.8 meters in height. The seven in the name of the individual derivatives thus referred to the round length.

The drive was provided by an engine taken from the Avia A30 in the form of a four-cylinder liquid-cooled diesel with a volume of 3.32 liters, which reached an output of 59 kW. It was located in front and drives the rear wheels.

Nevertheless, the interesting project finally remained in the form of a prototype. It was decided that minibuses would not be created in Czechoslovakia. This resulted in a series of at least ten broadcasting vehicles for Czechoslovak Radio.

It is Karosa A30–In time, the L7 made its way to the Avia company in Letna, where it was fitted with a larger engine and a more efficient brake system, apparently in preparation for the upgrade of the assemblies for the first A15 and A30. However, the car was later sold into private hands, with the new owner converting it into a caravan.

Karosa A30–Shortly after its launch, the D7 participated in the prestigious international bus show in Nice, France, where it even won an award for safety. After her return, she was first used for promotional purposes, then for the transport of personnel. Today, the given piece no longer exists, it was broken at the beginning of the new millennium.

On the other hand, the radio cars had an interesting career, one of the pieces even served Slovak Radio until 2008! Other pieces after the end of the radio and sales career were used for personal transportation.

Anyway, the body of the A30 was not the only bus with Avie cargo technology. In the early 1970s and 1980s, the Hungarian Ikarus (Ikarus-Avia 553) produced an identically designed minibus, and the A31 technology remained in place until the late 1990s. In Bulgaria, the Avia A 31-Čavdar LC-51 was created with bodywork derived from the German Setra, and in Yugoslavia, the Avia A 21-TAZ Neretva.