This is the story of how Laurin & Klement became Škoda. The carmaker Laurin & Klement (L&K), based in Mladá Boleslav, was celebrating its 30th anniversary and 20 years of building cars. Founded by the visionary duo Václav Laurin and Václav Klement, the company had earned a reputation for quality and innovation. Facing economic headwinds and a crippled production facility, Václav Laurin and Václav Klement knew they were at a crossroads. The Laurin & Klement company was formally removed from the commercial register later that year, but its spirit was far from extinguished.