The Skoda Forman was made from 1990 until 1995. It was a five-door wagon based on the Bertone-designed Skoda Favorit hatchback. In some markets, including the U.K., it was called the Favorit Estate. The Favorit/Forman was the last Skoda without any input from Volkswagen, which bought the company in 1995.
The small Skoda proved to be a popular car, selling very well in central and eastern Europe. There were exports to various far-away countries like Argentina, Israel, and to China. Exports to China were based on good old commie-style government-to-government barter deals. Quite a few of these Forman’s served as taxi’s in China, mostly at railway stations.
LX was a trim level. All Forman’s in China were LX. Power came from a 1.3 liter four-cylinder petrol engine with 54-68 hp, depending on exact specification. Torque varies less; from 93 Nm to 100. Gearbox was a five-speed manual.
This particular red example has a very old blue 京A license plate, indicating it was one of the first privately registered cars. This registration included cars for private use as well as for private company use. Considering the red color, this Skoda may have been a taxi before. Note the super long antenna on the roof! The car in the background is an early Geely.