Stefan Ivanov: In The Name of Laurin & Klement

In The Words and Designs of Stefan Ivanov

My name is Stefan Ivanov. Born January 1987, I live in a small and quiet town in the center of Bulgaria called Dryanovo. For 17 years I do something never done before, which is creating the whole history of Laurin & Klement (Skoda since 1925) auto company by illustrating it. The story behind is as unusual as my hobby.

In November 2005 I crashed with motorcycle. I spent two weeks in coma with two skull fractures, back and neck injuries, partial loss of memory and many more secondary injuries. After that I spent most of my time in bed at home, thinking about life and how for a moment everything goes upside down. Before the crash I was two times national champion in athletics, athlete of the year for 2001 in my town, so I never quit, always fighting my way out. Six months after the crash I started drawing, so I improve my brain and physical functions. Since the summer of 2006 I never stop drawing. Along with the drawing I started researching L&K history and became something like an amateur expert of Czechoslovakian auto industry. L&K have a very interesting story, which shaped the face of European auto industry. I was fascinated by it.

Unfortunately this brand is not just underestimated by also forgotten, so I dedicated many years so people could see and hear about one of the pioneers of auto industries and countless race winnings. They were racing in Austrohungarian empire, Germany, France, Italy and Russia. First inline 8 cylinder car in central Europe, their first hybrid in 1908, military vehicles, first to export cars in Japan. The major of Tokyo had one. One third of their production were exported from Russia before the first World war. They broke the speed record in their class on the Brooklands race track in England. L&K produced also trucks, delivery cars, vans, autobuses, firetrucks, ambulances and aircraft engines.

Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Klement started in 1895 as a small workshop for bicycles. Later they presented their first motorcycle which was called Laurin & Klement-Slavia. Ten years later their first car was presented as Laurin & Klement Voiturette A. Since that moment L&K was established as one of the leading car manufacturer in the Austro-hungarian empire. After the great war Austrohungary existed no more and new countries were established. Lack of material and man power forced some factories to close. Others like Tatra, Praga and Laurin & Klement were slowly recovering. In 1924 L&K plants were affected by fire which caused a lot of damage and loss of material. They had to find strong partner so they could survive. Meanwhile the industrial giant Skoda Works from Pilsen sought to enlarge and acquired Laurin & Klement in 1925. It also started manufacturing cars in cooperation with Hispano-Suiza.

Recently I attended two exhibitions. One in a private classic car museum and one in the National Poly technical museum in Sofia. I have invitation to open exhibition in Czech Republic in L&K hometown in front Bulgarian society there. It would be a very exciting event. I wish to have the opportunity to open exhibitions around the world, especially in USA because I know how much American people appreciate classic cars and their history. I wish to have the chance to tell the story of Laurin & Klement all around the globe and show my artworks, spreading the incredible story of L&K through my pencil.